The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Hive Cake Studio bakes up a storm
Tucked into a plaza at 7664 Leavitt Road, The Hive Cake Studio is the essence of Melissa VanderWyden’s artistic and culinary vision.
An Amherst native and Amherst Steele High School graduate, VanderWyden initially headed west after graduating from The Ohio State University in 2007 with a degree in interior design. She spent five years in Los Angeles pursuing design and working in advertising.
“I lived out there for five years and that’s where I really got into baking and everything. And after LA I moved to Philadelphia and continued baking and was there for three years and kind of got to a point where every move I would make would be a lateral move so I had to do something more.
“I just enjoyed what I was doing. When I was in Los Angeles before I got into baking I just wasn’t enjoying the job that I had. I was doing advertising sales and I didn’t enjoy it. I started baking as a hobby and I started taking a course one night a week so I thought I would try and pursue it.”
She was able to realize her dream when she came home and signed her lease on the day before her 31st birthday.
The Hive, which opened in March, prides itself on decorated cakes and VanderWyden has amassed a portfolio of custom artistic creations. She said she’s had some interesting requests but it was the specially sculpted toilet which took the “cake.”
“I’m pretty open to anything. I don’t think I’ve ever said ‘no’ to anything. The weirdest one was when I had to make a sculpted cake in the shape of a toilet. It was for somebody’s birthday so the message on the cake was, ‘holy crap you’re old.’ That’s like the weirdest one I’ve done but it’s pretty funny,” she said.
With a custom designed toilet handle and plunger to add to the occasion, VanderWyden uses the opportunity in her business to be creative. With some in the industry using custom printers for cake decorating, VanderWyden prefers to hand paint all of her cakes, adding her own touch to each order.
“I’ve always been pretty artistic. All throughout school at Amherst I was always taking art classes and painting. Painting has always been a hobby. So with a lot of my decorated cakes there I do a lot of hand painting,” she said.
In addition to cake decoration the business prides itself on using whole, natural ingredients and wants her cakes to have a good flavor to them, along with its visual aesthetic appearance.
She also offers themebased baking classes for children where they learn how to bake cupcakes. In early 2018 The Hive will begin cake decorating classes for adults where prospective baking enthusiasts can explore their own decorative creativity.
In Amherst she has found a supportive business community through Main Street Amherst that has allowed her creations to thrive while utilizing social media with an active presence on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.
“I’ve had a lot of brides coming to me from my Instagram and stuff and then a lot of moms through Facebook,” she said. “It has become an extremely important way to get everything out there. That’s been just one of the best ways to advertise because everyone’s on their phone or on Facebook. It’s a huge part of our business in staying up to date and staying current in what we’re doing and what we’re up to.”
The Hive Cake Studio is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.