Interview with Katelyn Wait

Featuring Katelyn Wait First published in December 2023, page 60 to 64

A profile interview with Katelyn Wait, winner of the 2023 Jo McIntosh Cake Mate Award.

Tell us about yourself and your business?

Hi! I'm Katelyn – I'm the creative talent and face behind Georgia + Ella. My journey started quite a few years back when I out of the blue decided that I was going to make a humongous 2 tier buttercream “masterpiece” for my best friends 30th birthday. Now that might sound quite normal until I tell you that I had NEVER decorated a cake before. This strange determination and not-so- fabulous outcome, sparked a passion for cake decorating in me.

I have since then forced many a cake upon unsuspecting victims such as family, friends, daycare educators and neighbours. Anyway – let's fast forward. My obsession for cake decorating grew and grew. Georgia + Ella isn't my full-time gig – I'm a primary school teacher who recently moved from the generalist classroom to the Visual Arts classroom. On my days off I'm working on my Georgia + Ella business and am a mum to two little ones.

It might surprise you that I'm not in the business of selling cakes – in fact, Georgia + Ella is all about teaching cake decorating

2023 Jo mcintosh cake mate award

Where do you find inspiration for your designs?

One thing I have learnt on this journey is that inspiration can come from anywhere at any time! In the early stages of my cake decorating days, I used to look to fellow cake designers for some inspiration more so than other places. Now there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! You want to make a cake, so you look to other cake designs for inspiration – makes sense, right?

But as my skills have evolved and my interest in cake design has continued to grow, I absolutely LOVE to take inspiration for my designs from everywhere! I have taken inspiration from the weirdest places – from the interesting looking fireplace in an Air BnB we stayed, in to the floral pattern on a pair of Kmart leggings in the kid's section. If you looked through my phone camera roll, Instagram feed or Pinterest pins, you'd find a multitude of pictures of floral bouquets, acrylic, watercolour and textiles artworks, pottery as well as fashion and jewellery designs.

Often, I'll save something or take a photo of something because I like the colour combination, perhaps I love a small section of the design, the texture, or maybe I love how it makes me feel and I want to figure out how to encapsulate that same feeling or look in my edible art. One of my favourite things about cake design is the part where the idea is born – and then how the idea evolves in my head over a period.

The amount of time I spend thinking about cake design is insane and they'd probably lock me up if they knew. Haha. I could have 3 or 4 cake designs in my head at any one time, or I might have nothing! On the odd occasion that happens I'm just waiting for the next thing to spark my interest, and then the process starts all over again. It's one of the best parts of cake decorating, I think. That and the actual decorating part! Isn't that why we all do it?

For the chance to be creative and make something that makes your tummy flip in excitement and forces you to happy dance in your kitchen?

Any advice for anyone thinking of starting a baking business?

My advice for anyone looking to start a baking business would be to find your groove and work out where you want this to go.

What do YOU want your business to look like?

Don't feel that you must do the same as everyone else. For a long while I tossed and turned over registering my kitchen and selling cakes. I felt like if I was part of this industry then I should be selling cakes like everyone else, shouldn't I?

But something didn't sit right with me. What makes cake decorating so enjoyable for me is the creativity side - having an idea in my head, running with it and seeing where it takes me. I enjoy working at my own pace and on my own terms. If I made cakes to order for customers, I may not be able to do that as freely as I would like. In addition to this, I'm a teacher by trade and the skills that come with teaching flow naturally.

I absolutely love teaching all that I know about cake design and showing others that if I can do it, they can do it too! And so, I came to the decision that I needed to just listen to my instincts. My business can look however I want it to look. And so, it does! I get to be creative, have fun, try new techniques and then teach others those skills to that they can go away and use these skills in their own businesses to create stunning edible art for their customers.

Obviously, your business ideas will probably look different to mine – you might love creating for others and coming up with beautiful designs in consultation with your customers. Either way, I feel like this advice translates - figure out what you want from your business.