Meet The Maker: Erin Gardner of Erin Bakes

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Meet Erin

Erin describes herself as a self-taught pastry chef, author, cake design instructor, wife, mom, and occasional unicorn. Between running her award winning cake business, working on her new book, and regularly contributing to huge publications including The Cake Blog and Craftsy, Erin was in desperate search of a better organizational solution. When she reached out to us about the WorkBox 3.0, we were more than excited to help sponsor her new studio space!

Q: Why cake decorating?

A: I started my sweets career as a restaurant pastry chef creating intricate plated desserts. A sugar flower class in NYC sparked my love of cake decorating and sent me in a new direction. I loved how fine cake decorating combined my love of pastry with my more artistic side. Now, I use those experiences to teach people how to make beautiful and delicious things at home!

Q: Tell us more about your studio!

A: My little studio is where I write and shoot my blog posts and videos. It's in an old textile mill building in downtown Dover, NH that has been converted into various kinds of office and industrial spaces.

Q: Tell us about the behind the scenes. What does a typical day look like for you?

A: Well, I'm not sure that I have a typical day! :) On baking days I'll be at home making the cakes, cookies, or other items that I use in my projects and tutorials. When I'm shooting I'm at my studio or at home breaking down the process to share piece by piece with images or video. Probably my least exciting (but most important) day is when I'm editing and writing. That's when it all comes together and I'm ready to share! Deadlines vary for me throughout the year, so every week looks a little different.

Q: What is your favorite part of the creative process?

A: I absolutely love bringing an idea to life. It's magic! There's nothing better that dreaming something up in your head and watching it take shape in front of you.

Q: Besides developing your cake talents, what other skills have you had to learn and acquire to be successful in this arena?

A: Business skills have been absolutely essential! My degree is in business management and marketing and I worked in that field briefly before entering the restaurant business. Those experiences were helpful as I went out on my own and opened my bakery and even now as I'm doing freelance work. Writing is also its own skill. It took a little while for me to find my voice, but I've got it now - and good luck keeping me quiet!

Q: What makes your decorating style unique?

A: My style is unique because I choose to decorate cakes using cookies, candy, or chocolate. I love bright, bold, modern colors and themes. It always excites me when I can apply a new aesthetic or technique to a cake that hasn't been done before.

Q: What is your favorite project you've ever worked on?

A: That would be my most recent book, Erin Bakes Cake! It's basically everything I know and love about cake - recipes, shortcuts, tips, tricks, and lots of decorating techniques and ideas.

Q: What was the appeal of the WorkBox for you?

A: The WorkBox appeals to me because I am not a naturally organized person. Having everything laid out for me has been amazing! Having so many bins and spots to store things has helped me organize my typically cluttered work space.

Q: How did you store your supplies before the WorkBox?

A: So randomly that it's sad, ha! Totes, boxes, assorted pieces of furniture.

Q: What is the best part about what you do?

A: I love inspiring people to make things for the ones that they love. Cake is meant to be a gift that's shared and brings joy. It's the best feeling when I can help someone feel confident enough to try and make something on their own.