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KIMBERLEY RADWICK, Cake designer, Powder Springs
What I do: As the owner of Sweet Caroline's, Kimberley Radwick designs, bakes and delivers wedding and specialty cakes. She uses real sugar, butter, cream cheese and buttermilk - lots of it.
"If you're having cake, have cake," Radwick, 41, said. "It's a special occasion." You can diet later.
While the bulk of the business at the state-licensed, commercial-style kitchen in her basement is wedding cakes for metro Atlanta ceremonies, she also ships online orders around the country and the world, even to the troops in Iraq. Most of her orders come through wedding venues, referrals or the Internet.
An appointment with the bride and groom to plan a wedding cake involves tastings and design work. She bakes the cake, usually starting at about 5 a.m., a day or two before the wedding, then delivers it herself on the special day.
Her standard buttercream-iced cakes with a choice of flavors, fillings and decorations, start at $4 per person - $400 for a cake that serves 100 people. The fancier cakes with smooth, rounded edges start at $5 per person. Then there are the extras, such as hand-made sugar flowers, accents and draping.
It typically takes 10 hours to produce a cake. They can weigh 50 pounds, "which is one reason I work out every day," she said.
Ideas for new cakes and decorations can spring from anywhere, she said. "I'll see a fabric and say, 'That would look great on the side of a cake.' " Color ideas come from flowers or paintings. "Be your own trendsetter," she said.
What got me interested in this: Radwick learned to bake from her grandmother. "From the time I was 3, she plopped me on the counter," she said.
Her grandmother made cakes and pies for restaurants in her hometown in South Carolina. "I made everything she made."
Her parents owned a restaurant, and Radwick has been baking professionally for 17 years. She has run Sweet Caroline's - named for her daughter - for four years.
"Baking has always been my passion. It relaxes me," she said.
Radwick started shipping cakes as an experiment to see whether they would stay moist and fresh.
The first "gratitude cakes" went to her brother, who was in Iraq with the Army.
Best part of my job: "Making people's visions of their cakes come true," she said. "Creation gives you energy."
She also enjoys feedback from customers, such as newlyweds who couldn't wait for their first anniversary to eat the last of their wedding cake or soldiers who appreciate the home-made taste of her gratitude cakes.
Most challenging part: In addition to the problem of sore feet, "I don't have a lot of time for marketing," Radwick said. "I'd rather be creating."
Deliveries in Atlanta traffic also can be a challenge, she said, especially with a $1,000 wedding cake in the vehicle.
What people don't know about my job: "I'm obsessive about ingredients," Radwick said. "I constantly try to find better chocolate."
What keeps me going: "My family. My daughter [now 4] is a breath of fresh air every day," Radwick said. "She's a happy, busy child. My husband is the same way."
Preparation needed for this job: "It takes a lot of patience," she said. "It takes a long time to produce a wedding cake. You need an eye for detail."
Plenty of training and experience help, too. Radwick has a degree in hotel/motel/restaurant management and a certificate in culinary arts. She also attends international cake conventions and takes classes on the latest products and trends in the industry.
- By Karl Ritzler, for ajcjobs. Got an interesting job that you love? E-mail your story to jobseditor@ajc.com.
