Twenty-seven-year old Ivy is fast becoming one of the most sought after cake artists in the capital.
Prudence Muganhiwa
And the reason is clear, her cakes are beautiful both inside and out.
Born in a family of four, a wife to Victor and a mother to Tadisa, Ivy literally stumbled upon baking.
“It is interesting that I started baking whilst I was in college when I wanted to bake a cake for my boyfriend (now my husband) and a friend of mine gave me free baking lesson.” Her passion was born out of this episode, and since then she has not looked back. Between that day and today, she has successfully established Splendid Cakes, a thriving company which specialises in creating and designing custom cakes for any occasion including weddings, birthday parties, graduations, and the list is endless.
Perhaps what is most amazing about this remarkable woman is that she is actually an IT Graduate who studied Computer Science at the National University of Science and Technology.
“I quit my career in IT to pursue motherhood and start a baking business, simply because cake baking is my passion. People around me thought it was the biggest mistake I had ever made as the modern woman has to earn her place up there as a professional woman in a white collar job. Many thanks to the support I got from my husband who has always been by my side and never criticised me.”
What she enjoys most about what she does is making her customers happy and getting positive feedback about how her cake wowed the customer’s audience. To take bunches of raw ingredients, and watch them come together into a cake or a cookie is a creative endeavor only experienced by the creator.
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It is satisfying to have other people enjoy what I have made and to know they are eating nature’s best and not preservatives and additives.”
A staunch Christian who believes in honesty and integrity as her guide for day-to-day living, Ivy trusts God is at the centre of it all. “God gives us the strength to keep pushing forward. I believe we should live lives that touch others in a positive way and I would want to reach out to people using my passion for baking. Ivy says her household is now used to her sometimes crazy work routines.
“My day starts at 6.30am, and of course there is no fixed time at which it ends. It really depends on the work! Once I have packed lunch for my husband and prepared food for the little one, I head straight to the baking business to get orders under way. Thursdays and Fridays are my busiest days.
Although the baking keeps her busy, Ivy reserves time for her family. “What I enjoy most about family life is taking care of them on my own, seeing each and every development of my daughter, all of these which I would have missed if I pursued a career in IT. This to me defines motherhood.”
Ivy, whose inspiration is Cake Boss Buddy Valastro, has a dream to develop Splendid Cakes even more into a reliable and reputable business providing satisfactory services to its customers. “It takes some effort to get customers who will come back for a cake for all their occasions, and I am continuously working towards just that.”
Strangely, on her To Do list is also a Pharmacy degree as she always wished to become a pharmacist! “My college dream was to become a pharmacist and it’s one of the things I want to do before I get old!”
Seeing as the cake business is fast growing in the country, Ivy had a piece of advice for anyone aspiring to venture into it, “If you want to make it in anything, it is all about hard work. One has to understand that you just do not wake up at the top, but you work your way up through hard work and perseverance.”
