While most of us were hunkered down under COVID-imposed restrictions, Fenton resident Amie Lepsky was creating colorful, beautifully detailed confections that look just like flowers: cupcake succulents with ombré green leaves, ranunculus with dozens of folded petals, black-and-white anemones, hydrangeas in a rainbow of hues. By arranging a selection of her cupcakes just so, Lepsky found, she could create edible bouquets.
Lepsky, 37, was inspired to bake after spotting a cupcake bouquet on Pinterest. Determined to replicate it, she watched countless YouTube tutorials, practiced the intricate and painstaking work of piping, and administered multiple taste tests to willing friends and family members. In November 2020, Bakery Blooms by Amie was born.
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“I’m not a classically trained baker,” Lepsky says. “I have never been to culinary school. But I’ve always enjoyed baking as a hobby. I made my first bouquet for my mother-in-law, and the response was overwhelming. It was the first time I felt like I was doing something a little different.” Lepsky isn’t particularly artistic or even a “pretty” baker, she says, but she does feel that she’s found her specialty.
Lepsky follows a recipe for American buttercream with a ratio of butter to powdered sugar that produces a stiffer consistency, allowing her to create those crisply executed petals. The use of butter, instead of shortening, results in a richer flavor. “I want my cupcakes to be pretty, but I also want them to be tasty,” she says. “That’s why I started baking. It was more about the taste. Pouring time and love into baking just doesn’t make sense if it doesn’t taste good.”
The Creative Cookery, a commercial cooking space in Fenton, functions as Lepsky’s prep kitchen, complete with all of the room and equipment she needs to create her goods. She rents space there by the hour and enjoys mingling and sharing tips with other entrepreneurs: “There are three kitchens and a prep space, so part of the fun is getting to spend time with these other creative people. All of us started our businesses during Covid, so we have a lot in common.”
What began as a hobby has blossomed into a full-time job. Lepsky now works four to five days a week. Two hours of each workday is spent baking and preparing frosting; another five to eight hours are allocated to decorating cupcakes. The mother of two admits that it’s been a challenge to transition from stay-at-home parent to business owner, but she’s enjoying herself, crediting her supportive extended family for helping out at home.
At the moment, Bakery Blooms by Amie is a company of one. Customers can choose bouquets from the gallery on her website or make special request.
Custom orders are by far the most popular item, Lepsky says. “I just had a customer who was holding a 25th wedding anniversary celebration. “They sent me a photo of their wedding bouquet and I replicated it in [the form of] cupcakes,” she recalls. “It’s special to be a part of re-creating such a memorable day.”
