Decorating cakes has taken over my life! I am a cake decorator, baker, cake artist, cook, cake landscaper or whatever you want to call me. I have found a passion for cakes and detail with both frosting and fondant that I never dreamed I would have. I spend my time in the kitchen baking cakes which has caused me to start a business and find clients for whom I create personalized, edible works of art.

Baking began to interest me when I was very young. I have two grandmas who are avid bakers and devoted cooks. With their help, and many phone calls, I was able to develop the skills for the kitchen. I grew up in a family of 7, so birthdays are not uncommon all year round. With so many birthday cakes needing to be baked, I became the family “cake baker.” As I baked these cakes, I found myself thinking of new ways to decorate them and new frostings to try. I started making up family holidays such as half-birthdays or major accomplishments just so I could decorate another cake. These cakes gave me the experience of cooking for crowds, large and small and I began to find out which flavors people liked and disliked. Cake decorating became my passion.

While I was finding my passion for baking, I was also experimenting with other recipes on the side. As all I wanted to do was bake, my mom encouraged me to either make dinner and bake or don’t bake at all. As hard as it was to do at the time, I am so thankful to her for doing that because it helped develop my interest in cooking. I began to receive numerous cooking magazines, which inspired me to create my own cookbook. The summer of my junior year, I collected recipes, cut and sorted by categories, and finally arranged a book called Briana’s Cookbook. My hobbies of cake decorating, baking and cooking became a passion for me that I hope to continue in the coming years.

Cakes by Bri began when I was hired to make a friend’s graduation cake for 50 people. Because of my past hobbies, I had experience with baking, decorating cakes, and cooking for large groups of people. I created the cake and it was a success. Cakes by Bri was born! My sister created a blog for my cakes and I began to get business. People wanted to hire me to create cakes that reflect the special person receiving it. I have created iPod brownies for the iPod user, sushi cupcakes for the sushi lover and even a motor home for the frequent camper. Through this business, my sister also turned a picture of a Mac-apple cake that I had made into Mac/Life magazine and that won Photo of the Month for August 2008. People began to notice my cakes and wanted to hire Cakes by Bri to create a cake for their next event.