Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberley Rivers.
Hi Kimberley, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve always loved art, creating, and baking delicious homemade treats for my friends and family. When I chose to be a stay at home mom, making cakes became a fun outlet for my creative energy. I started making fun cakes for my kids birthdays. My first cake was a 3D train made from a box mix, and canned frosting. It was a crumbly hot mess. But, I was hooked, I wanted to see what I was capable of. I started trying out new recipes and making cakes and buttercream from scratch, which only made it all the more fun. It wasn’t long after, that friends and family started to ask if I would make their cakes too. I then decided it was time to open my own cake business, Cakes In The City Utah out of my home kitchen in Farmington, Utah in 2019. Shortly after that, my business quickly grew much larger and faster than I ever anticipated. Themed cakes were my focus when I first started. Although I had always been drawn to tall elegant wedding cakes and I had wondered if I would ever be good enough to make them. I finally got my chance to make my first wedding cake for a family wedding. Again, it was a huge learning curve; however, after that I knew there was no going back. I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Wedding cakes are what I’m most passionate about. I love creating something so elegant and beautiful all completely from scratch with my own two hands.
Even though my main focus is wedding cakes, I still love to learn and try new things. A couple years after my business got its jumpstart I was contacted by Food Network to be a contestant on Holiday Wars to be a sugar artist on season 4. I was so surprised and excited! Although I had only taken a couple local sugar classes and I really had no idea what I was doing with such a complex medium. I was terrified and knew that I was far out of my element. But, these kind of opportunities don’t just happen every day. I thought… what do I have to lose? As terrified as I was, I knew that the only way we grow is when we do hard things. I knew I wanted to learn as much as I could. I decided to take a huge leap of faith and I agreed to be on the show. I ended up being placed on a team with two amazing teammates (Erin and Bryan). We were a great team and we quickly became good friends. We ended up winning 5/6 episodes and won the title of Holiday Wars Food Network Champions. It was definitely a surreal moment! It just goes to show that you never know what can happen when you put yourself out there and take a chance. Since then I have competed on a couple additional shows and continue to push myself to do hard things whenever I get the opportunity.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I actually have a Bachelors Degree in Exercise and Sports Science from the University of Utah. I am a huge advocate for health and fitness. I know how important it is to fuel our bodies with nutritious food, and to keep our bodies healthy and strong. When I started making cakes I struggled with my two passions (Cake vs. Health). But, I have learned that there needs to be a balance in ALL things. Besides everyone needs a wedding cake and it’s okay to treat yourself to a yummy dessert every now and then.
Probably one of the hardest challenges is trying to balance family and cake life.
I mostly make wedding cakes, and I generally schedule them months in advance, sometimes even over a year out. It’s hard to know what my family life will look like at that time with my kids school and sports schedules. I don’t take on more than I can manage, to make sure I can give each cake the attention and detail it deserves. Although there are times that because of the unknown, the cake has to be finished in the wee hours of the middle of the night. With that being said, I want every cake that I make to be exceptional. Even if it means I need to work through the night. I put my heart and soul into every single cake I make. I make sure that every cake is completed to the highest standards before it ever leaves my front door.
Cakes take a lot more time than someone might think. There is a lot more to cakes than just throwing batter in the oven and covering it with buttercream. I am a one woman show… I am the cake decorator, designer, grocery shopper, social media manager, saleswoman, delivery driver, recipe developer, photographer, accountant, dishwasher and more. I also make all my cakes in my home kitchen with only two mixers and one oven. I always want my cakes to taste even better than they look. That also takes a lot of time to make the cakes from scratch, with only the best quality ingredients. It’s a big job, but also so rewarding to create delicious and beautiful edible art.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in custom wedding cakes. I have always found myself gravitating toward beautiful and elegant wedding cakes! The more elegant and beautiful, the more excited I am to create. I love working with my clients to create custom designs that have personal meaning to them and will be remembered throughout their lifetime. There is something so satisfying about making someone’s wedding cake. Starting with only sugar, flour and butter to creating a beautiful piece of edible art with my own two hands. However, most of all I have loved meeting the most incredible and kind people that have come into my life because of cake. I feel so blessed and grateful for all the kindness and support throughout my cake journey.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I’m so thankful to my husband and my kids that put up with crazy cake mom on a regular basis (I promise it’s a thing). My friends and neighbors have been so supportive. All my amazing social media friends are nothing but encouraging. And of course I have to give a huge shoutout to my incredible Utah cake friends! We have such an amazing group of women who support and encourage each other. 💕
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Cakesinthecity.utah
- Facebook: Cakesinthecity.utah
