Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryane Sheffield.
Ryane, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Growing up, I loved baking with my Grandmas. They all had something special they made. It was fun to learn from each of them, some of my best memories! My mom made cakes for us every year. For my 12th birthday, she used starbursts to make blocks for a Super Mario Brothers cake. I thought it was the most creative thing ever! In high school, she started to teach me to frost cakes and pipe buttercream roses. I thought it was a lot of fun. In college, a very good friend of mine was having a baby. I saw a cake on a tv show and thought ‘I can make that’!
My very first cake was a baby block. It was a 7” cube and spelled BABY in puff piping. The top had a real pair of baby booties and the baby’s name piped on it. I was so proud of it! After that my family started asking me to make their shower cakes. Then a friend asked me to make her Groom’s cake. She wanted calla lilies on the cake. I purchased a gum paste flower kit and read the instructions to make gum paste flowers. I was hooked! I wanted to learn more. I had to put my hobby on the back burner for a while.
I graduated from college and moved to Texas and married my husband. When one of his co-workers was having a baby, he asked me to make a cake for her work shower. I made one of my baby block cakes. Then more coworkers and friends started asking me to make cakes for them. I made lots of baby shower cakes! All my cakes had been for family and friends thus far, but those friends started giving my name to their friends.
In 2011, our second child was born and I had the opportunity to stay home. I have a degree in Chemistry and left my career in Research at Baylor College of Medicine. I decided to launch my business publicly. I needed a name, I went back to the memories of baking with my grandmas. I knew I wanted to honor them in my name. I took a part of each of their names to create mine: AL-for my Grandma B, her name was Aldine. DOR-for my Mema, her name was Dolores. And IA- for my Gram, Her name was Georgia. That’s How the name Aldoria Cakery came to be! If you look at my logo, their names are hidden on each tier of the cake! I started with just an FB page and word of mouth. I launched my website in 2014.
Since then I have met some amazing colleagues that have helped me grow, I have participated in styled shoots that have allowed me to push myself and meet some amazing vendors. I love having the ability to create something memorable for my clients on their special day! Baby shower cakes will always be special to me because it’s how I started, I make all my friends their baby shower cake!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I wouldn’t call it smooth, even though that’s how I like my buttercream haha! It has been such a learning curve. I spent a lot of time developing my recipes. I wanted something that was as good on the inside as it looked on the outside! Baking from scratch can be difficult because the recipes are not as forgiving.
I needed a recipe that could hold up to carving and stacking and be consistent. I didn’t want to deal with a temperamental recipe that would fall while baking half the time. And of course, it had to be delicious! I am still growing as a cake artist. There are areas in which I excel and there are areas where I know I need more development. It’s a career where you are constantly learning.
Another struggle is comparing yourself to others. In the creative industry, it is hard not to look at what your colleagues are doing. When you see something beautiful, you are going to analyze it; is my work that good, could I have created something like that! It took a long time to learn to stay in my own lane. I can value and appreciate the work of a colleague while also appreciating my own. We all have our own skills and we are all in a different part of our journey.
Creatives are so passionate that we take it personally if someone doesn’t like our cake. It can be a head game! I want to focus my time worrying about “will my client love their cake” and not “will my colleagues see my flaws”. Every cake has a flaw, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! That’s a time for a “strategically placed decoration” haha! Being a creative means building your skills and your confidence. Sometimes those two things don’t grow at the same rate. I feel really confident in myself as an artist right now, but it didn’t happen overnight.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Aldoria Cakery – what should we know?
What I specialize in is also what sets me apart- SUGAR FLOWERS! I love them! If I could put flowers on every cake I would! I don’t just make flowers for my own clients, I have made them for colleagues to add to their creations too. I love being able to collaborate with colleagues. I also love buttercream flowers! Flowers and more flowers! I don’t just specialize in cakes, I make custom decorated cookies too! I think cookies make the perfect party favor. They can match the theme and they’re consumable.
I am really proud of the product I offer. All my cakes are from scratch, made with butter! Most are original recipes also. I have recipes from my grandmas that I use as well. I love developing recipes for people, I usually name the cake after the inspiration. My husband used to always eat a PB sandwich after a night of partying. So for his birthday one year, I made him a PB cake with Guinness frosting. I call it Bud’s Hangover cake.
I also made a cake with some of my brother’s (his name is Cole) apricot jalapeno jelly. It had tequila frosting. I call is Jalapeno Cole-ada cake. I love being able to create something unique for a client. On the inside and the outside!
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My Husband, Bud, deserves a lot of credit. I couldn’t do this without him. He’s been very supportive and helps me in so many ways. I send him on late night ingredient runs, he can see that I am in the middle of cake chaos and will start doing dishes for me. It definitely helps to have a supportive partner!
I have a few colleagues that have become really good friends. It’s been great learning from them and it’s very helpful to have their discerning eye when it comes to a design.
Sometimes they can suggest something I didn’t think of that elevates the design. I definitely believe in God’s Blessings. God blessed me with my talent that I have been able to grow and develop over the years. Because He gave me this gift, I think it is important to use it to serve others.
I have worked with a few charities that provide cakes for children. The first is Icing Smiles. They provide cakes for children with life-threatening diseases. The other is The Birthday Joy Club. This is a local Houston charity that organizes birthday parties for children in foster homes. I also donate to events at my church to raise money for youth camps.
During the summer I teach cake decorating to children at a church camp. I have over 100 students by the time the week is done! All of these experiences have been very rewarding for me.
Pricing:
- Minimum order of $125. Cakes start at $5.25/serving
- Cookie sets start at $90 for 2dz
Contact Info:
- Website: www.aldoriacakery.com
- Phone: 2813866071
- Email: aldoriacakery@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/aldoriacakery
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/aldoria.cakery
Image Credit:
Mychelle Levan Photography LLC, J&D productions, Aldoria Cakery
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