We recently got to tour the commercial kitchen at Gabrielle Feuersinger’s Cake Coquette on Cortland in Bernal Heights.
What is a couture cake, and how does it differ from a regular cake?
Gabrielle Feuersinger, Cake Coquette’s Mastermind
Each cake we create is custom designed. While some cakes are common, popular recreations, we always try to bring our creative design flourishes to all cakes and strive to design something original and artistic. Elevated design concepts and sculptural cakes set us apart from regular bakery cakes.
How do you approach the design process for each unique cake?
I start by listening to my client’s ideas and themes. Once I know how many guests are being served, I know my parameters and can suggest numerous concepts. Often clients collect ideas and images and have strong ideas. This helps me a lot because I know what my clients are envisioning.
Can you share how you got into baking?
I have always known I would have a bakery. When I started in the industry, custom cakes were becoming a sensation. I have a varied art background and a love for art and design, so it was a perfect fit to focus on cake design.
What motivated you to launch your own business in the wedding cake industry?
Wedding Cakes by Gabrielle Feuersinger, Cake Coquette
I invested most of my energy in networking within the wedding industry since I love participating in these big events and partnering with so many great vendors I continue to work with after 15 years. There is a lot of camaraderie, repeat business, and great photos from working in the wedding industry!
How has being recognized for your work through magazine features helped build your brand?
Having a large portfolio of published work is always great and legitimizing. It gives me a lot of street cred. Magazines are less popular now, so getting mentioned in blogs is where I see recognition these days. It is always so exciting to see your work in print in a magazine, though.
You also run a commercial kitchen. Could you tell us more about that aspect of your business?
At the same time that I run a full-time cake business, I also run and manage a commercial kitchen. I built this kitchen so I would have a wonderful place to work but with a lot of room to share. I share the space with many other bakeries and caterers. There is a lot to know about running a kitchen, so being here to oversee it is important. It is rewarding but time-consuming.
What made you choose Bernal Heights as the location for your business?
Even though I am an SF native, Bernal Heights was not a neighborhood I was that familiar with. However, I had an opportunity to start my business in the back of an ice cream shop (Maggie Mudd) and loved the neighborhood. So when we found the warehouse down the block to build a kitchen, I was very happy to stay in the neighborhood and bring more businesses here.
Gabrielle Feuersinger
Cake Designer, Owner
Cake Coquette
As an experienced baker, what advice would you give to someone aspiring to enter the baking industry?
This is a tough question because I wish I could say it’s awesome. Like learning to be good at anything, it is hard work, often hard hours, but it is especially rewarding if you are in business for yourself; working in the bakery industry is interesting because you can go in many different directions; bread, pastries, cakes, custom cakes, cafes, bakeries, cookies, macaroons, or so many specialty items. I chose my first job out of culinary school (a hotel), where I learned how to make a bit of everything, and I figured out quickly what I liked to do best. So my advice is to go into the hotel industry first! I loved it and could try everything from desserts for the restaurant line, breakfast pastries for hotel guests and banquets, cakes for weddings, and plated desserts for banquets. It was a great experience. And the perks are so good.
Can you share any new developments or upcoming projects that we can expect from Cake Coquette?
We hear you have plans to incorporate a community space within Cake Coquette. If so, could you provide more details about it?
I have a great showroom space with great potential for a meeting space, pop-ups, classes, etc. I hope to develop and market it more in the coming years. I am open to help or ideas for this space and potential collaborations.