Today we’d like to introduce you to Allison Abney.
Allison, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve always been creatively inclined, whether it was just doodling during teacher lectures or making crazy sandcastles at the beach. I like to do art in any form or media but mostly I paint and sculpt. That led me to playing with edible materials! Trying out new techniques and pushing myself with crazy ridiculous designs that will make people smile or laugh… then fill their bellies! It was the perfect combination of my creative side plus my love of sweets 🙂
Several years back my sister was talking about how she was going to order a smash cake from a bakery for my nephew. I wanted to make it more special than a plain small cake from an unknown bakery so I volunteered to bake it! From that point on it became the tradition that I make all the family event cakes- birthdays, holiday parties, weddings, etc. My family boosted my confidence and showed off the pictures to friends and got the compliments that I should open up my own shop. I would laugh them off, saying I didn’t have the experience and this was just something fun I loved to do! When I was asked what I would call this theoretical bakery, I said Pipe Dream because you pipe onto cakes and it is a total pipe dream that this could ever morph from just a hobby to a full-blown career! But I couldn’t resist the challenge when friends started ordering cakes too! And from there it just snowballed! I started getting orders from friends of friends then strangers and it evolved into making a logo and starting up social media. The crazier or more unique the challenge the more I wanted to create it!
I really do love making the cakes. I have worked a normal office job for my entire adult life and felt comfortable but stifled and honestly a bit bored. The cakes allow me to stretch my creativity and bring a little joy to other people’s lives at the same time! As Julia Child said “a party with out cake is just a meeting!” and I will quite happily continue bringing cake to people who love sweets as much as I do!
Has it been a smooth road?
The biggest struggle of this whole process has been me. I am really horrible at self-promotion and as much as I want people to love my cakes, it has always been hard for me to make myself vulnerable by spending hours creating these cakes just to place them in front of people specifically to be judged. I know I like my cakes, but it is really difficult to push my cakes and advertise because it feels self-indulgent. I post barely a fraction of my cake creations online because it feels shallow to be fishing for likes and comments. I know it is the digital age and I need to self promote so it is a constant uncomfortable struggle I have.
I am incredibly lucky that I haven’t had harder circumstances but I have to push and fight myself every single day to let people see my creations and quite possibly find fault with them. I think it is important to push ourselves, push our boundaries, expectations, talent, everything!
Oh, not to mention our beloved Texas heat and humidity wreaks havoc on cakes, icing, fondant, and chocolate! 🙂
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Pipe Dream Custom Cakes story. Tell us more about the business.
Pipe Dream Custom Cakes is about whatever crazy idea or theme you can think of and me turning it into something you can eat! The more extreme and ridiculous or unique the better in my mind! I am most known for crazy designs with lots of high detail work and 3D sculpted cakes. While I am still happy to create a simple but beautiful tiered cake, it is the more challenging and risky cakes where I really excel!
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I think the custom cake industry is exploding right now. There are so many talented bakers and artists everywhere, and really who doesn’t like cake! We’ve all been watching the amazing baking shows on tv for years but the biggest change is the heavy influence and longer reach of social media. Now bakers from all around the world can exchange ideas, recipes, techniques and support each other! It is really amazing the online baking communities that have formed!
Contact Info:
- Phone: 2817857856
- Email: pipedreamcustomcakes@gmail.com
- Instagram: @pipedreamcustomcakes
- Facebook: @pipedreamcustomcakes
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