Today we’d like to introduce you to Irma Nikiforou.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I lived most of my life on a small Greek Island in the Mediterranean called Cyprus. My father is Greek-Cypriot and my mother is French. I always baked a lot with my mother for as long as I can remember (she is an amazing cook and even more amazing baker). I made my first decorated cake at the age of 12, and I guess I never really stopped. All the cakes I produce are a collaboration with my mom. She usually does the baking and I do most of the decorating. She then “fine tunes” the cakes by adding shadows, highlights etc. I arrived in Atlanta with my husband, parents and siblings 5 years ago. I now have 2 little ones, a 4-year-old boy and a 7-month-old girl. Making cakes was always a hobby for my mother and myself.
Three months after I arrived in Atlanta, a friend of mine called me and asked for a birthday cake. A month after that I received 2 more orders, and then work started picking up. Now, you have to understand that I was working from home, and I had not advertised at all, but from word of mouth I started getting more and more orders. Today I have equipped my whole basement into a proper baking workshop. There are many things that make this job so amazing.
Firstly, it is never boring. We receive different requests every time, and we have never made the same cake twice yet. We get to sit with the client and get to know him/her in order to be able to better interpret his/her vision. Second, I get to share some of the joy of my clients’ event. It is the most amazing feeling to see how happy they are to receive their cake. Working from home with my mom and my baby is also another great part of it. I have created my website and facebook page and try to keep on top of it, but the truth is that I enjoy the creative process of cake decorating more than anything. In the future, I hope to be able to create a cake blog and post videos tutorials of cakes that I have created using my own interpretation.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road, like for many I guess, has been quite bumpy. Mostly I believe because I had not really planned on taking on cakes as a business, I had perceived it more as a hobby. I was happy making cakes for family and friends. That and my diploma is a chartered accountant (the equivalent to a CPA in the USA). Taking on a cake business in the past 5 years has also been challenging as I did so from home with my little ones (my son Elias was home with me for the first two years before I sent him to daycare, and now I have my daughter Melina with me). I also struggled to perfect my techniques and my recipes. I try to learn from each of my mistakes – I have had cakes collapse on me, crushed, melt etc. I try to keep up to date with new trends and new techniques as well. Online tutorials, books, research take up a lot of my time as well.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Ou La La Cakes – what should we know?
Ou La La Cakes as I said before is a collaboration between myself and my mother. Without her nothing would be possible. She usually does all the baking which includes cakes, icings, fruit compotes and fondant (yes we make our own most of the times). We pride ourselves in that everything is made from scratch. We have recently acquired some chickens of which the eggs have now become part of our cakes. We also use organic ingredients whenever possible or available. We have few cake flavors and icings but because the quality of what goes into our cakes is so good, I would like to think is what sets us apart from others. We also try to pay attention to detail. We specialize in fondant covered cakes. I enjoy making modern tiered cakes with sleek lines with bold accents, but I can make anything my client requests. We also make 3D cakes as well (3D for example figures). We are known for that our cakes not only look good but that they taste great as well.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My mother is 50% of Ou la la cakes. As I said before she bakes, experiments to come up with new flavors, and often tries new techniques to come up with a better cake. The rest of my family, my husband, father brother, sister and sister in law are always there for me, whenever I need advice or help of any kind. Sometimes, I may ask them to come over and just check the cake, if they like it, what would they change, how could I make it better. Their input is invaluable and helps me become better. Their criticism also helps me become better. For example, if something does not look good, they don’t hold back, and pushes me to change my initial design to achieve something that looks good and will make my client happy. Some cake artists that I follow online via tutorials and blogs are Jessica Harris and Liz Marek. I think they are cake geniuses and I have learned a lot from them (even though I have never really met them).
Pricing:
- Each cake is unique and so price differs, though an average approximation is $5 per person + additional decorations. For example an 8-inch cake is for 20 people and so starting price would be 20x$5=$100.
- 3D cakes start at $200 and are priced depending on the design.
- Wedding cakes prices start at $7 per person.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.oulalacakes.com/
- Phone: 67803083732
- Email: oulalacakes@hotmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oulalacakes85/
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