We were lucky to catch up with Madison Hert recently and have shared our conversation below.

Madison, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I am completely self taught. I have poured hours and hours into learning through books, YouTube, podcasts and books, practicing and failing techniques over and over until I’ve succeeded. The leaning is never done and I believe that even if I had gone through a more traditional culinary program, I would still have so much to learn on my own. Creativity is not something easily taught. It is something you develop over time. Artistry is individual and once you have the basics down of whatever your medium is, you have the ability to expand that style. I have been baking since I was a kid and have always had an interested in working with my hands and creating delicious and beautiful desserts to share with others.

Being closer to more courses and mentors may have helped speed up the learning process, but the internet is full of people doing incredible work and sharing their knowledge. The core baking skills were by far the most important and took the most time to develop and are still not always perfect. Time is the largest obstacle to learning more. I feel as though I could spend all of my time practicing what I know and learning new recipes, flavors and techniques and still barely scratch the surface, but that is the fun and challenge of the creative process!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

In 2021 I was asked to make desserts for a friends’ wedding and of course I said yes! At the time, I was working as a dental hygienist, but decided to start a baking business on the side, doing something I love and making a bit of extra money. I did a deep dive into the world of cake design/decorating. I soon began getting so many more orders than I could possibly handle and quit my job as a hygienist to bake full time and have the opportunity to spend more time with my kids, who are still very little. It is such a creative field and I love the people I get to work with and the joy I get in creating cakes and other desserts!

My main focus is creating cakes and dessert spreads for weddings and elopements, but I also branch out into birthdays and other celebration cakes/desserts. I specialize in buttercream cakes and French macarons and have begun to enter the world of creating sugar flowers and more detailed designs with edible decorations. I love the creative process and working with my clients to design their dream cake!

Part of practicing in any artistic career is being willing to try new things and go out of my comfort zone. It is important to remain confident and surround yourself with supportive people as well.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

I went to school to be a Dental Hygienist and am currently working part time as one. This year I stopped working as a Dental Hygienist in order to pursue baking and cake design full time. Losing that stability and consistency is one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make, but it has allowed me the time and capacity to grow my skills and my business and spend more time with my family.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

The biggest factor in growing my reputation and business is the support and connections I have made within the wedding vendor community and Durango community as a whole.

The vendor community in this area is so connected and supportive of other business owners to generate referrals and make events run smoothly. The group of women-owned businesses that make up most of the wedding vendors in this area is inspiring. I could not imagine working within a more cohesive group of business owners and I believe it is one of our biggest strengths within the wedding industry in this area.

The Durango community as a whole is very supportive toward small businesses as well and definitely lends itself to loyal customers and incredible support.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.whiskitbaking.com
• Instagram: @whiskitbaking

Image Credits
Ginger Moose Photography Paula B Photography Colt and Hannah Photography Ashley Taylor Photography Rachel Neilson Photography