Today we’d like to introduce you to Dolores Williams.
Hi Dolores, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started my custom cake business when my four children were very young. I have always loved baking, crafting, art, playing music. I have always been a creative, I just never thought about it turning into a business. It started with making buttercream sheet cakes for my children’s birthday parties and quickly turned into fondant-tiered cakes once I started watching cake-decorating shows on TV. Soon, I was baking for friends and family for profit. I joined up with other Texas bakers a few years later and became part of the movement to legalize home bakeries in our State. The Texas Cottage Food law was passed in 2011, and I turned into a full-time home bakery business. I was able to stay home with my family, and also do what I loved for a living. Over the years it has evolved from celebratory cakes and decorated cookies to more based in wedding cakes. I love being a part of the wedding industry! I’m a perfectionist at heart, and that translates over to my work. I pride myself on clean work. I strive to make my clients happy; I want them to love not only how it looks, but also how it tastes.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
When I first started making cakes in the 2000s, it was not legal yet to sell out of your home. That of course was a huge roadblock in opening a legitimate home-based bakery. It led me to finding out about the cottage food law movement that was starting up in Texas. Once in passed in 2011, there was nothing standing in the way. It went from being a side gig for family and friends to a full-time job for me very quickly. I would say the only struggle I face now if balancing work and family. I am a one (wo)man show, and there is only so much I can take on by myself. That means limiting orders and having to turn down business on a weekly basis. It’s hard to do that.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m most proud of my attention to detail. I will never send out a cake that I don’t feel is “perfect”. I do clean work, sharp edges, lots of detail. Over the last 15 years, I have been able to learn so many different techniques and trends. I specialize in Buttercream, fondant, gum paste sculptures and figures, and decorated cookies.
What are your plans for the future?
I plan on operating my home-based bakery for as long as I can. I can’t really see myself doing anything else. I started when my children were toddlers, and they are now young adults and older teens. I imagine as the nest empties over the next several years, I will still be here baking and decorating. Doing what I love!
Contact Info:
- Website: apieceofcake.us
- Instagram: @apieceofcakebydolores
- Facebook: @apieceofcakebydolores
