Gateaux Inc is one of the most inspiring bakeries in both our local Minneapolis market, but also around the world. Their vision is not to mass-produce cakes, but rather to make every piece a work of art and literally bring your design to life. We have seen their work plenty of times in person and we are always amazed and in awe by what they create. When you have a Gateaux Inc cake at your event, you don't just have a cake. You are giving your guests an incredibly unique experience, and one that they will continue to talk about for years to come! The best part is that baked goods from Gateaux Inc go beyond weddings and add the perfect surprise touch to any occasion! After all, who doesn't love a to a WOW factor at their party?
Q. With the wedding industry being so full of bakeries and cake artists now, how do you find that you are able to stay true to your original mission?
A. It's easy. When we started Gateaux, 17 years ago, there weren't any other bakeries doing completely custom cakes for weddings. It was a great niche for us in the Minneapolis area, and still is. Truth be told, it is not a particularly good business model to do what we do, so most bakeries limit their designs to variations of cakes that they can produce quickly and in large quantities. That's never been our style. While it would be a whole lot more efficient to limit the designs that we create, it would bore me to death! Fortunately, we have found a market of clientele who appreciate the uniqueness and intricacy of our cakes and are willing to pay a little more for a truly unique cake. I've been asked about mass marketing and expanding under Gateaux's name, but I refuse to expand the business to a point that will compromise our quality. That covers design, as well as flavor...we'll never mass produce or freeze our cakes or desserts.
Q. Aside from your amazing and renowned Cakes, you also do custom invitations! Can you tell us a little bit about that?
A. I started offering custom invitations as a way to balance out the cash flow in winter months. It was a natural fit. We simply transferred the methods that made us successful in wedding cakes over to invitations. I have a number of invitation companies around the US who will customize fully to my specifications. This way, we can design invitations completely unique to the client's wedding. If we can 't find a company that does what we're after, we'll do it ourselves. The handmade ribbon rosettes on the attached invitations were made by our cake decorators.
Q. Your designs are one of a kind and so intricate. How many artists do you have on staff?
A. As any good control freak would, I keep my staff small. I have Jenna, Julia, and myself to decorate, and in the summer, we hire a part time dish washer to help keep us moving. I'm lucky to have two decorators who are not only talented, but creative problem solvers, and passionate about decorating. You have to love this job or you won't last. It is long hours, and a lot of responsibility. But the rewards outweigh the stress. I love it when we finish a cake and we manage to impress ourselves. You'd be surprised how many times "That's a cake!" is uttered at the shop. It still amuses us to no end.
Q. Each bride and groom are so unique, as are their weddings. Would you say that one of your favorite parts would be the customization of all your cakes?
A. It's what makes my job the best job in the world! People always ask me how I come up with such unique designs. I don't. My clients bring them to me (whether they know it at the time or not). Each wedding has it's own distinctive look and design scheme. I'm just a really good copy cat!
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