Today we’d like to introduce you to Kassy Jimenez.
Hi Kassy, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I began baking at a young age with my grandma. We use to make Italian bread on her white kitchen aid mixer, thats when it started. The feel of the dough squishing between my fingers, the smell of the yeast as the bread rose, when I got to punch it down and turn it into any shape I wanted. It was about feel and smell. Things at that young age I never knew I would cherish until she passed, then it stopped. The thing about my baking is that I never knew I was baker until I needed to be a baker for my own selfish needs. All those smells, the touch, the sounds and the memories seemed to be fading with age, I didn’t want to let that happen. So when my mother haphazardly packed up and shipped me that mixer, I started again. The rest of it kinda just happened. After a good cleaning, I took her mixer and made bread, it only seemed fitting to have that be the first thing that I baked again. Then it was a cake for my partner, chocolate almond cake and chocolate buttercream. Looking back at that cake, I always laugh a little, it was so lopsided compared to the detailed cakes I make now. Friends would ask me to make a cake for their kids and I would jump at the chance to do so. They started simple but then I really started to fall in love with all the things I could do. I really put that little mixer to work and it never failed me once! As time went on, I started to do local events and make cakes for others. The little mixer wasn’t big enough so eventually, I did have to upgrade but every holiday, I get it out and make bread with it.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
While it has been fun to bake and also teach myself how to do these super-detailed cakes, I have had some bumps along the way. Teaching yourself how to do all these things is already a task within itself so when you are learning as you go sometimes things go wrong. The first “Cake-tasrophe” was trying to do standing fondant details, let’s just say it was quite a droopy mess. Thankfully with some research and lots of trial and error, I figured out how to fix it. Thankfully I do give myself enough time to have room for error, so I haven’t really had lots of things go wrong.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I consider myself an artist before anything! What I do is an art form, you are taking basic pantry items and making gravity-defying edible works of art. It is pretty crazy when you think about it. I do a little bit of it all. Custom cakes, 3-D cakes, cupcakes, custom decorated sugar cookies, my signature homemade s’mores, pecan pie bars, and so much more. I would say my specialty is custom buttercream cakes for sure! What sets me apart from others would be the creativity and use of several different mediums. Someone you know celebrating quitting smoking, how about an edible isomalt ashtray with edible cigarette butts. Maybe you have a musician in the house, how about a custom life-size guitar with edible music sheets. The list just goes on and on! The best part about pushing myself was having the opportunity to showcase my skills on National TV. Yes, my skills were on TV! It is even crazy sometimes for me to process. Food Network has a show called Cake Wars, four teams go head to head to see who can make the most epic cake and I won! If that was not crazy enough, I got to go back and compete in a Championship special. Showcasing my love for buttercream, different edible mediums and love for baking on a massive platform was one of my greatest accomplishments.
What matters most to you? Why?
I think what matters most to me when it comes to baking is knowing that I get to be a small part of the joy for someone’s special day. Each cake or baked good is made with so much care, love and effort. Not many people realize the amount of hours it takes to produce a one of a kind cake but I do and it’s all worth it to me. Seeing someone’s face light at the sight of what I have made makes each moment special for me. Cake makes people happy and I love making people happy with cake. Those moments only solidify the memories I once made as a child. They are timeless and knowing I am a small part of that for others fills my heart with immense joy.
Pricing:
- Custom Cakes start at $100
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kassart6.wixsite.com/cakesandcraftsbykass
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cakesandcraftsbykass/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CakesandCraftsByKass
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtcyytV4NsfRDTTqfAAXm_g
