Today we’d like to introduce you to Kati Todd.
Hi Kati, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I had always loved cooking and baking. Even from a very young age, I would always help my mom in the kitchen. Making food, especially deserts for people, is sort of a love language for me.
When my first son, Aiden, turned two, he requested a train cake. This was the first big cake project I took on. The cake had an engine, and then multiple different cars all filled with different treats. The cake board this cake was on, was over four feet long!
Then, sometime later, I made my first fondant cake for my brother in laws 30th birthday. This cake was a huge hit! Everyone was so impressed, and kept suggesting maybe I start selling my creations! I started with an ad on Craigslist. I still remember the first cake I sold, and that person is still a cake customer today, 10 years later!
After gaining a few customers from Craigslist, I created a Facebook page. I made business cards. I started posting in different Facebook groups online. Business slowly started to grow from there!
I am completely self-taught. That means I had to do a lot of online research. Baking and making cakes was not new to me, but fondant and decorating was! I would watch videos and tutorials online to gain more knowledge. Eventually, practice makes progress.
This business was not always full-time for me. When I started making cakes, my oldest was two. This year, he turns 14! I had a daughter and another son within the time I have been making cakes. When COVID hit in 2020 I figured that might be it for my small business. Boy, was I ever wrong. People needed more cakes than ever before! They needed a reason to find a little joy in such a hard time. Cakes, and a lot of cupcakes, played a role in this. Everyone wanted a celebrate but couldn’t do it in the traditional way we had all done before. There were so many orders for cupcakes! Customers wanted to drop off cupcakes and let loved ones know they were thinking about them. Cupcakes were needed for drive-by birthday parades! Business just continued to grow!
Last year, my youngest turned four. This made things a little easier to make cakes full-time. It was my busiest year to date!
I love making cakes so much! The people I meet, and the responses I receive are what I need to keep going. When customers send pictures of their children with cakes it melts my heart. When I get to bake special cakes for heart transplant patients. When people trust me with their gender reveals! From regular cupcakes for a dinner party to a big three-tier wedding cake. I love it all! My customers are what keep my small business going!
I’m excited for the future. This year is always set to be bigger than last year, and I cannot wait to see what awesome cakes and cupcakes come my way!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Things have not always been easy in the cake business. Running a small business while trying to grow a family, and maintain your backyard farm has been a struggle at times. I was fortunate enough to have an extremely hard-working husband that made it possible to step back from cakes at times.
The inflation on everything from ingredients to boxes, to any supplies, has been an adjustment. I’ve always wanted to keep costs down for cakes because I believe everyone should be able to get a custom cake and you shouldn’t have to break the bank to do it. The rising costs these days makes it harder, but I know doing things like having my own backyard chickens for eggs, or buying ingredients in bulk helps.
We’ve been impressed with Three Willows Bakery, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Three Willows Bakery is an in-home bakery. I specialize on custom cakes and cupcakes mostly but make other desserts as well. I offer any flavor of cake you can imagine! Anything from vanilla, chocolate, any fruit flavors, and specialty flavors like maple bacon, salted caramel macchiato, tiramisu, and margarita. The list could go on forever! If it is a flavor out there in the world, I can put it in a cake!
I also specialize on gluten-free, sugar-free, and allergy-friendly options. Flavor is not limited here either! Any flavor can be made to suit these specific cakes.
I think what sets me apart from others is the taste of my cakes. I have always prided myself in taste and flavor. I use quality ingredients, eggs from my own chickens, and organic milk. I use an all-butter buttercream, which is the perfect balance of rich and sweet.
I am also easy to work with. I love my customers and have formed lasting friendships with some over the years. I have one family who always had some kind of awesome idea for me to try to create. Sometimes, the more unique the cake, the more fun!
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
There have been many people that have supported me over the years. My wonderful family for starters. My kids always deal with my working from home. They would jump in and help if they could! My husband has been there to help create strange cake bases, cake stands, to box cakes for me, to help with cake pickups. He has even delivered a wedding cake for me! Their support means so much to me!
My friends have always been nothing but supportive! They have been there to pick me up on hard days, to buy cakes from me, and everything in-between! When you hear one of your best friends talk about how wonderful your cakes taste, and how they think the sky is the limit for you, nothing can compare to that! Shout out to gal pal Val, for being my biggest cheerleader! Having a support system like I have is the best thing ever!
Really, without my customers, none of this is possible! Without everyone who is willing to take a chance on a small, in-home bakery I would not be where I am today! My customers are everything to me. I do not do any advertising. Most of my customers come from word-of-mouth recommendations! For a small business, there is nothing greater than telling your friends. I am so lucky to have such wonderful customers!
Pricing:
- Cupcakes 6 for $15 or 12 for $30
- 6″ cake starts at $45
- 8″ cake starts at $65
- 10″ cake starts at $75
Contact Info:
- Instagram: three_willows_bakery
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pieceofcakery
