CAKEbar has to be one of if not the coolest and most unique business I have featured yet. CAKEbar is owned by the amazing Chelsey from Burlington Ontario. CAKEbar is the one and only cake pop up shop where cake is customized before your eyes! Chelsey offers custom cakes, cake pops and classes on making these tasty treats. And when I say tasty, I 110% mean the tastiest treats you will ever have!
Do you have kids? If so how many & age? I have one little boy, Oliver, who is almost 3!
What's one thing people probably don't know about you? Oh, that's a fun one. I think most people wouldn't guess that I am a huge nerd. I am obsessed with Marvel comics and Harry Potter.
Are you a stay at home mom? I am a work-at-home mom! I am lucky to be able to run CAKEbar from my certified home kitchen while being a mom to Ollie.
What is your favourite thing to do for yourself? I would say reading is probably my number one form of self care. I also am a hobby crafter and love doodling, hand lettering & doing projects on my Cricut.
What is your favourite date night activity? Anything that involves eating! My husband and I are huge foodies and love trying new things.
What's one thing you couldn't live without? Other than my family, I would have to say books!
Who's your IG inspiration? What a tough question! My favourite person to follow on Instagram for just general life inspiration is @thebirdspapaya, AKA Sarah Landry. But my favourite IG accounts for cake inspiration are @sweetapolita, @chelsweets & @thepurplecupcake.
What advice would you give your younger self: Probably to not take everything so seriously. I always believed in having to follow an exact plan for my life and I think I've learned that nothing goes the way you expect and to just take life as it comes.Â
How did you choose the name for your business? This is going to sound so cliche. When I was in pastry school, I had a dream one night of running a shop called CAKEbar where people could create their own perfect slice of cake. And it always stuck with me. So seven years after that dream, I made it a reality.
How do you balance having kids & running a business? Is there such a thing?! I am flying by the seat of my pants and just doing my very best. Ollie is now in preschool two half days a week, which helps me to really dedicate those few hours to CAKEbar tasks. And Monday is always our 'mama and Ollie day,' which means I don't work and we do something fun together.
Where can people find your products? Since CAKEbar is all about customization, my products are all made to order and custom made to your exact specifications. But I am always popping up at events, so be sure to check out my social media feeds for where I'll be next!
What is your favourite flavour to make? Ah, that's like asking me to pick a favourite child! I am so dedicated to my flavours & making the best possible products for my customers, but since my chocolate cake is my signature, I guess I will pick that! However, I absolutely adore when customers ask me to make funky flavours for them; it really gives me a chance to stretch my creativity.
What advice can you give someone looking to start up their own business? Just go for it! There is never ever a perfect or right time to do it. If you have a dream or a goal, just do it. You never know until you try.
What sets your business apart from others alike? There really isn't anything out there like CAKEbar, truly. And I don't say that to toot my own horn, it's just that it is a very unique business and I think that's what makes it stand out. Oh, and maybe my passion for what I do; people can just feel it.
What is the most challenging part of running your business? Balance! Making sure that I am dedicating myself to my family & friends, but also making sure I run CAKEbar to its full potential.
What does a typical day look like for you? That really depends on the day! Since Thursday is my busiest day of the week usually, I'll go with that. I get up at 7, scroll social & emails for a bit. Get Ollie up, make him breakfast, and make myself a smoothie. Out the door by 8:40 for preschool drop off, then back home to work. All of my CAKEbar items are in the basement, so I do a few runs to bring up my tools & ingredients for the day's baking. Then I work on whatever orders I have before heading back to pick Ollie up at 11:30. When we get home, it's lunch time & nap time for Ollie and more work for me! When he gets up, I put my work away and we do something fun. Then its dinner, bed & some time with my husband before he heads to bed and I get back to work! It's a busy day but I am so grateful to do what I do.
Favourite song: Right now, its London Boy from Taylor Swift's new 'Lover' album Dream Vacation: Hawaii or Bora Bora Favourite Book: Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson Dream Job: Turning CAKEbar into a food truck Favourite Podcast: Armchair Expert by Dax Shepherd Dream Car: Tesla Model X Favourite Smell: Vanilla Dream meal: Authentic Italian food is the best! Favourite item of clothing: My 'Little Bit of Sunshine' sweater from Simple Girl Canada.
Instagram: @therealcakebar_
@Camara.Crew Stamp of Approval:
I've had the pleasure of getting to know and meet Chelsey on a few occasions. One of my favourite events that we attended she was at was a Common Moms Baby Shark themed party. Chelsey was there to make sure the kiddos got a yummy treat that they were able to hand decorate with all Baby Shark themed treats. Lily had so much fun decorating her special cake and then eating it with her brother! She even shared some with mommy which I was very grateful for as it was DELICIOUS! We also had the pleasure of tasting Chelsey's yummy treats at a Mother's Day event - our kiddos even got to play together for a little bit!
After tasting her treats at both events and seeing how much my kids loved them I knew that I wanted Chelsey to be apart of Mason's birthday party. It was an easy decision to have her design and make Mason's cake for his cake smash. I told Chelsey about our theme and Mason's favourite flavour - chocolate of course and let her run with it. I knew I could trust her to make a cake perfect for our wild one's party. When I arrived to pick up my cake and cake pops I was in awe of her beautiful work. The cake was EXACTLY what I had pictured in my head. And the cake pops went perfectly with our theme. By the look on Mason's face and how much he devoured his cake I can guarantee it was a win in his books! I cannot say enough great things about Chelsey. She is easy to work with, passionate and creates the most beautiful and delicious work! Thank you Chelsey for making Mason's birthday party extra special and yummy!
