TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

A Pastry Business Made From Scratch

ADVERTISEMENT

By MICHELE SAGER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 6, 2008

WESTCHASE - Before the blank white canvas of sugar, Laurie Cinelli began to craft her masterpiece.

She slowly drew the intricate curves, dots and lines together to form a beautiful design.

Her finished products are called works of art by her customers. And luckily, her clients also call them delicious.
Cinelli turns ordinary baked goods such as cakes and cookies into centerpieces for all occasions. And now this pastry chef hopes to bring her passion to a storefront in Westchase.

Although, Cinelli has won numerous baking awards and sold hundreds of cakes through her Web business, A Piece of Cake, the mother of three had no formal training.

"I guess it all started when I took a culinary class in middle school," she said. "I just enjoy baking."

As an adult, Cinelli continued to pursue her interest in cake decorating by taking classes at Michaels arts and crafts store.

"I started taking the classes, and eventually they asked me to start teaching the classes," she said.

Word spread of Cinelli's talents, and the executive chef at the Island Way Grill in Clearwater asked her to be the restaurant's pastry chef.

But after a year and a half, Cinelli wanted to spend more time at home and concentrate on cakes. She began making wedding cakes for people she knew and eventually built her own Web site, www.cakes tampa.com.

"I just read up on Web sites and figured I could do it," she said.

Her business features a range of pastries from birthday and wedding cakes to cookies and cupcakes. Cinelli said the personal touches are what make her cakes stand out from others.

"All of our ingredients are made fresh," she said. "We don't freeze them. Also, we will work with customers on designs."
Cake flavors range from the traditional vanilla and chocolate to the more exotic, such as the Margaritaville, a margarita-flavored spongecake filled with lime curd sweet cream.
Cinelli uses some of the same recipes her grandmother used years ago. Although the 40-year-old chef said she finds the process relaxing, don't expect to find her eating her own creations.

"I really don't like cake because I don't have much of a sweet tooth," she said. "I love pizza and pies, which is why I'll never go into business making them because I don't want to get tired of them."

Instead, Cinelli relies on the taste buds of her family and three children, ages 17, 6 and 4.
Cinelli will provide sketches for most products, or customers can choose from a design she already created. For wedding cakes, she meets for a consultation with the customer.

Wedding cake prices vary depending on design but on average cost about $4 per slice. Other prices are listed on the Web site.

Assistant pastry chef Holly Morgan said she has learned a lot from working with Cinelli.

"She's such a talented person who really loves what she does," she said. "How great is it that we get to play with food and get paid for it?"
Cinelli said she relies completely on word of mouth for her business and hasn't spent a dime on advertising.

Amy North is one of the customers who passed the word on to others.

"The cake was a huge success and tasted amazing," she said. "I don't think there was a single crumb left."
Cinelli bakes in a church kitchen while looking for a spot to open a shop. She said she hopes her success will inspire others.

"If there is something you love to do, you should never give up," she said. "With determination and perseverance, you can do it."

A PIECE OF CAKE

WEB SITE: www.cakestampa .com

E-MAIL; cakestampa@earth link.net

PHONE: (813) 814-2616

Reporter Michele Sager can be reached at (813) 865-4843 or msager@tampatrib.com. Keyword: Cake Baker for the sights and sounds of Laurie Cinelli and Holly Morgan as the create culinary works of art.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT