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vendor reviews: cakes
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Reviewing Ida Thibeh Wiese, Owner & Cake Designer at Sweet Sweets Cake Art
With wedding cakes that are inspired by new trends not just in the cake decorating world, but also in dιcor, flowers and even fashion Ida Thibeh Wiese, who owns Sweet Sweets Cake Art, is on the cutting edge of modern cake designs. Ida seems to constantly push the wedding cake envelope by bringing in her natural artistic ability and passion for baking to make sure that she doesn't repeat the same design twice. We checked out Ida's cakes and definitely agree that they're artistic, funky, modern and innovative and the options to have different heights and proportions just add to the unique factor.
Though Ida is relatively new to the wedding world, she's been baking for three years now and her natural talent is evident by the fact that she hand paints all of her cake artwork and hand creates the flowers too! With Sweet Sweets Cake Art you get just that a piece of edible artwork with the cake made from scratch and without additives and preservatives. Ida's flexibility and accommodating personality, mixed with her passion and enthusiasm for creating and providing the best service and product possible, are just some of the reasons that we think Sweet Sweets Cake Art is destined to be famous in the local community. Let us tell you more...
Personally speaking... Though Ida says that she was born artistic and has always loved baking, she wasn't always headed down the path to cake decorating. After graduating from University with several degrees, she was set to pursue an education in International Law. But then school began to lose its lustre and Ida realized that this path wasn't what she wanted anymore.
"I've always loved baking and am artistically talented," she says, "and one day a family member told me that this was my calling." So, Ida decided to fulfill her passion for the Arts and her love for baking, colliding the two to create Sweet Sweets Cake Art. While she was in the process of opening the cake shop, Ida says she checked out the market and felt that there was a lack of cakes that had artistic design cakes that weren't just wedding cakes but were also a work of fine art fit for a gallery. Which is what inspired Ida to combine cakes (a.k.a. sweets) and art - hence, the name. "I wanted to bring a couture style of cake making."
Though 2009 is her first year in the local wedding industry, she has been baking for many years and Sweet Sweets has been open in K-W since 2006. And there's no question that Ida is well-trained in the art of cakes. She has her Masters in Cake Decorating and Confectionary Arts from Klara Johnson's School of Confectionary and Pastry Art where she says she learned the basics and techniques to further guide her in using her natural artistic abilities. She told us that in class she "would stand out by using the most outrageous colours, designs or style." Even an Internationally known cake instructor at the school told her that she was the "most modern" cake designer she knew.
The intrigue of what the next bride who visits her will want to create for her wedding cake is one thing that Ida says she loves about her job. "Or, if she has no idea as to what she wants then collaborating ideas to create her wedding cake masterpiece is so exciting," Ida adds. "Sometimes there are so many thoughts and ideas running in my head after meeting with a client that I just can't sleep."
While Ida also creates specialty cakes for all of your occasions from birthdays to baptisms and more, she told The Ring that being a part of someone's wedding day makes her strive for "the best in taste, style, design and creativity because this is someone's dream." Whatever kind of cake Ida designs, it's clear that she loves what she does and even told us that her "work is truly a labour of love," something that's obvious in the work she creates.
An artistic alternative to a traditional wedding cake... Ida says that many of her clients are modern, hip and edgy, though she has also seen clients who want something more traditional and simple. Either way, Ida says that what they have in common is "an open mind and an openness to experiment and do something different... they want the wedding cake to be different, unique, special and to be the focal point of the reception.
To ensure that each cake is unique, Ida told us that she doesn't do high volume baking, which means she doesn't pick a cake off of a shelf or from a catalogue, each cake is designed specifically for you. Plus, she limits the amount of weddings she does per weekend to ensure that each cake gets the quality it deserves.
No matter what your style is, though, Ida says that she tries to design each cake to be unique to each couple she meets, which is one reason she believes that clients visit Sweet Sweets. "They love the artistic alternative to the traditional wedding cake world... they love the different heights, proportions, sizes and they are amazed by the possibility of creating their own unique wedding cake with their own signature style." Ida adds that her flexibility, passion and zest for creating and providing the best services and products don't hurt either.
Ida's clients aren't the only ones with open minds and she told us that she, too, is open to ideas and suggestions and just really wants to make sure that she creates what the bride and groom want for their special day. She adds that she wants to be different without being influenced too much by other designers so she can make sure her style is unique and authentic. That's why Ida told us that she is more inspired by what the florists and decorators are doing, and even further, has recently been inspired by the latest fashion designers. "When I pick up a wedding magazine or browse the internet, I don't go to the cake section, I want to see how the decorators have decorated the halls," says Ida. "Decorators and florists can tell you a lot about what the latest trends are."
With each new client she meets, Ida says she takes these fresh, new and trendy ideas and tries to incorporate them into her cakes. Like right now, Ida says that hot colours like vibrant, hot pinks, Tiffany blue and black and white damask designs are popular. But it doesn't end there as Ida says she likes to take inspiration from anything from china patterns to nature and more.
The most important dessert you'll ever cut into... Ida once heard that 'your wedding cake is the most important dessert you will ever cut into,' which is why, at Sweet Sweets, you don't just get a wedding cake, you get a work of art. "My cakes are modern, artistic and edgy," says Ida. "I hand paint all my artwork and hand create all my flowers. I love hand painting art on the cake," says Ida.
All of the cakes at Sweet Sweets are made from scratch with no additives or preservatives, says Ida "they're all natural with rich, dense texture." Ida says she loves creating cakes with different heights and proportions from tall to short and thin to wide. "I'm trying to move away from the traditional three-tiered staggered 6", 8", 10" look." The various styles and flavours that Sweet Sweets offers are endless and you can find a gallery and menu on Ida's website to see for yourself.
Whatever she ends up creating for your wedding cake masterpiece, we think that Ida has a great sense for design and an amazing ability to take the design of the cake into a new and different direction. She even has cool ways to present cakes at your event, like on a pedestal with special lighting just another aspect that makes her cakes akin to pieces of art and helps them be showpieces at your wedding.
The price for a sweet piece of art... Since Ida says that her work is more labour intensive, (meaning she could spend up to twenty hours on a single cake, especially if she is hand painting it) she says that they tend to cost a bit more than other cake designers, but adds that she feels her work speaks for itself and you're paying for a work of art, not just a wedding cake not to mention you also pay for the uniqueness and freshness of her cakes.
That being said, she can still work with all budgets to find something that you love and has had both high and low budget clients. While prices depend a lot on the complexity of the design you order from Sweet Sweets, Ida says that cakes start at $4 per serving and the average wedding cake is about $400 to $550, not including taxes and a delivery charge. A $100 non-refundable deposit is due upon booking your cake.
Walking you through it... Ida says to phone or email (with email being the best option) her to book an appointment. Ida is the only one who works at Sweet Sweets so you never have to wonder who you're going to get. She designs and bakes all of the cakes herself, meets with each couple and delivers and sets up the cake on your wedding day.
But before that can happen, Ida sits down with the bride and groom during an initial consultation and before she even discusses the wedding cake she says she asks them questions about the hall (whether it's grand, modern, simplistic), the dιcor (is there a theme, centrepieces, colours, etc.) and flowers (type, colours and how they'll be displayed). Ida says that all of these questions give her a good understanding of what the couple's style is and the mood or feel of the wedding.
After Ida gets your style and wedding ambience down-pat, she starts discussing wedding cakes. "What I do is go through several wedding cake pictures (mine and other cake designers) and ask them what they like or dislike about that certain cake," says Ida. "A lot of couples will come in with a certain idea in their head... something simple, traditional, three-tiered, staggered, but from this process of looking at other cakes the couples see what the possibilities are in the wedding cake world." Ida then takes these ideas, likes and dislikes and creates a sketch and price quote, which she mails to each couple.
Two weeks after you receive the sketch and quote from Ida, you touch base with her and let her know if there's anything you want to change. Then, Ida encourages clients to participate in a cake tasting session with your choice of three out of twelve samples, because she says "it is just as important for the cake to taste as good as it looks." Once you decide on the final design and cake flavours, a $100 non-refundable deposit is placed and the wedding date is booked. Ida suggests booking between four and six months ahead of your wedding, but since she only takes three cake orders per weekend to ensure the highest quality and the fact that we think Ida will continue to become more popular in the area, we suggest booking as soon as possible.
On the Monday of the week of your wedding, the remaining balance for your cake is due and Ida will confirm the details for your day like delivery time, place, etc.. On your wedding day, Ida personally delivers and sets up the cake.
Ida told us that it's important to her to be flexible and open with her clients and adds that this allows her to be more creative and able to create a work of art in the end. "I also do my best to always create a unique and original design for my clients. By doing so, I truly make them feel special and unique that their wedding cake was a collaborated creation..." We totally agree that Ida is very creative, listens well to what you want and suggests ideas that you would have never thought of, but are sure to love.
For a work of art... Call or email Ida Thibeh Wiese of Sweet Sweets Cake Art at 519-576-2294 or sweetsweets@rogers.com. Samples of Ida's amazing creations and a mouth-watering menu of her sweets can be found on her website at www.sweetsweets.ca.
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The Staff at TheWeddingRing.ca |
Cake designer at Sweet Sweets
specializes in creating works of unique edible
art
