Wichita Wednesday (June 9th) - Elizabeth Stockemer
Wichita Wednesday (June 9th) - Elizabeth Stockemer
Tell us a little about yourself. When and why did you start baking?My name is Elizabeth, I'm a stay-at-home mom, and I'm married to my high school sweetheart. We have five beautiful kids that keep me very busy. I started decorating when our oldest daughter turned one. We ordered her first birthday cake from a local grocery store that will remain anonymous (I plead the ignorance of youth for not using a local bakery!) and it was so disappointing, both in taste and appearance. She barely ate any of her smash cake, which got me thinking about learning to decorate cakes. I have always enjoyed baking, so I figured if I could already make food that tastes good, why not learn how to make it look good as well. My sister-in-law and I took some classes together at Cake Stuff, and the rest is history!What is one Cake Stuff item you cannot live without?The round cake pans I've bought at Cake Stuff are amazing, even after years of use. You'd think I'd be set on cookie cutters by this point in my life, yet I always find a reason to get just one (or three!) more. Food coloring markers are my favorite for doing fine details and accents when I've been painting on fondant with food coloring and alcohol.If you could bake/decorate with anyone famous who would it be?I'm a big Alton Brown fan girl. My husband and I watched a lot of Good Eats when we were dating. He's not a decorator, but I really enjoy his fun approach to teaching the "why" behind how food is prepared for achieving better results.Do you have a local baking business, or do you just bake/decorate for fun?I consider myself a hobby baker. I have done a bit of "hobby for hire" baking in the past, but with five kids I keep plenty busy with their birthdays, school treats, and just being a mom and everything that entails. I was a Wilton instructor for a short time but gave that up when we were expecting baby #4. Now that the kids are getting older I will occasionally take an order from friends when our family schedule allows, but that's pretty few and far between at this stage in life.