Today we’d like to introduce you to Kenzi Dean.
Hi Kenzi, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started baking when I was a child. Being from a large Italian family, it was second nature to me. To put it simply, I fell in love. I don’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t baking. I always loved art as a child, constantly getting into any crayons, paint, or glitter I could find. When I discovered I could take my art and put it on a cake my world changed. I began baking cakes for any & every occasion. I attended culinary school + my passion never faded. I work in special education & love every moment of it. I could never decide between the two, so I won’t. I am so humbled that I am able to pursue both of my passions. I hope to create a space where all feel welcomed & free to express themselves through creativity.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Luckily, I feel that my road has been smooth. I do attribute that to the wonderful support system around me, hard work + passion. My biggest struggle was and still is trusting myself + my talent. Saying I am an artist still feels unbelievable to me and always will. I mean, Moments are challenging mentally, for example, I did drop my first wedding cake of the season + had to redo it 2 hours before but in the end, it all works out!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I bake + design custom cakes. I am known for “elevating” the old-school concept of design. I truly believe you can create a whole world within a cake. What sets me apart from others is that I like to work closely with each client to provide a cake that is unique to them. Cakes can show emotion, tell a story, provide memories & be indulgent. I see my cakes as art and honestly, I’m bored with the old style of decorating. I’m here to shake things up a bit.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I believe in order to be successful you have to trust yourself to take risks. Starting Baked was a risk, I remember sitting in class with my students one day and asking, “Hey, should I do this?” They cheered “yes!”. That night I went home and applied for my business license. It has been incredible ever since.
I take a ton of risks with my design, I love trying things I’m not sure will work. I challenge myself with every cake to try something new + innovative.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bakedbykenzi.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/baked.bykenzi
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/Baked.bykenzi
Image Credits
Ally Lorraine Photo (Instagram.com/allylorrainephoto)
