Meet Ashley Ferguson of Overland Park

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Ferguson

Hi Ashley, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I attended culinary school at The Art Institute of Phoenix in 2007, with a focus on baking and pastry. From there, I worked in a few bakeries, and got my start with cakes there. I had learned the basics of cake decorating in school, but was able to set a solid foundation on the job. I took a break from baking and cake jobs for several years and just did cakes on the side. I wasn’t feeling fulfilled at the office job I was working at, and so I quit to nanny and focus on building a cake business. I officially started by business in 2019 and began attending wedding shows and making connections in the industry. The pandemic actually gave my business a boost since I wasn’t able to nanny anymore and was able to focus all of my attention on caking. Since then, I have attended workshops in person and online and have learned a lot from other cake artists to build what I hope is my own personal style of cake decorating.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There are always struggles! It’s challenging to create something very personal and put it out into the world. And, there is always the pressure of perfecting my work in order for it to meet the standards of such a special celebration.

It’s also difficult to balance raising my son and making cakes at home. Prioritizing one over the other is always a bit of a challenge.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I specialize in custom wedding and celebration cakes. I am proud of my buttercream painted cakes and the hand-sculpted sugar flowers I have learned how to create. I hope that my artistic style and delicious cakes set me apart from others.

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
I had just started my business when Covid-19 happened, so I really didn’t have much to compare things to from before. Business actually exploded just following the pandemic, when weddings had been rescheduled for the following year, and I had an incredibly busy year!

Pricing:

• Custom cakes start at $6 per serving for buttercream
• $7.25 per serving for fondant

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.clevercakeskc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clevercakeskc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clevercakeskc