Happy customer – icing on the cake for Amanda

What started out as a hobby is now a passion, and a means of employment for Amanda Vanloo, also known as “Cake Girl”.{{more}}

Vanloo displayed her artistic and culinary skills last week at a three-day exhibition at the LIME head office in Kingstown, where customers of the telecommunications company, and her potential clients, got to see and taste her treats.

Vanloo, a resident of Old Montrose, said she offers a personalized service which takes on a shape and size of its own, based on the desires of her clients and her vivid imagination.

“I get my inspiration from my customers, because I like to make sure that my cakes are customized,” she indicated.

“So, for instance, if you’re looking for something for your girlfriend, I will enquire and find out what she likes and what colour she’s into. We might just find out she’s into handbags and jewellery and fashion, and once we get to that we can break it down some more … colour … brand … even down to the flavour.”

Cake Girl said she offers three basic flavours: chocolate, vanilla and red velvet.

The former Girls’ High School and St Vincent and the Grenadines Community College student indicated that she got some of her skills from her mom, Cindy, who also is in the cake making and catering business.

She, however, said most of her skills were self-taught and that she offers more than just the “regular cake with cream and some hard icing”, at a very reasonable price.

“My customer base and my target market are different … All my basic prices start from $200 and up. I spend a lot of time on what I do; the Sponge Bob, that’s a moulded cake, that costs about $700 for something like that.

“Something like that Sponge Bob takes about three days. It all depends on what they’re looking for; it could be a moulded cake, or it could be a small round cake or a square cake.

“I go out of my way. I spend hours making sure that you’re happy and satisfied, not only with the looks, but also with the taste of my cakes. The recipe that I use, I worked on it for three months and I’m comfortable. You’re not only paying for quality, but also for the presentation,” Vanloo said.

The young entrepreneur said that her cakes are not only for birthdays, weddings and anniversaries, but interested persons and businesses can request one of her sweet treats to spruce up any other event that they are having.

Interested persons can see more of Cake Girl’s works of art on Facebook, where ordering information can be found. (JJ)