Dominican mother of four, Cheryl Seraphin has long been fascinated with baking, “As a teenager I remember I was so intrigued by the beautiful cakes on display at my parents’ many formal gatherings, that baking and cake art soon became my hobby.”
Since her arrival in the Paris suburbs seven years ago, Cheryl has managed to transform that hobby into a business. “One day I thought to myself, if I enjoy this so much, and the sense of fulfillment it brings me and others, why don’t I do this full time? I did and so my ‘edible art’ journey began!”
Her company, English Dream Cake, has continued to grow ever since and in 2016 became a family partnership. Together Cheryl and her youngest daughter Dew are delighting families across the Ile de France with their fresh, homemade cakes for special occasions.
YOU HAVE A MOTHER-DAUGHTER PARTNERSHIP, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO ANY OF OUR READERS WHO ARE CONSIDERING GOING INTO A FAMILY BUSINESS?
CHERYL: The other family member or members must share the same passion for the service rendered and most importantly everyone involved must share the goals.
DEW: Communication is key. Things sometimes seem obvious but in a family business, just like every other business partnership, it is important to communicate – even about what we think is not important.
WHAT ROLES DO YOU BOTH HAVE AT ENGLISH DREAM CAKE?
CHERYL: We both have many roles. Dew plays the major role in the intricate designs (the delicate pieces), while I focus on the actual cake baking with our delicious secret family recipes, and we both deal with customer relations, the media, our collaborators and helpers.
TELL US ABOUT THE TYPES OF CAKES YOU MAKE.
DEW: We call it edible art -just as you would admire a fabulous painting or detailed sculpture – English Dream Cake provides the haute couture of cakes, with intricate details made by hand and yummy flavors, using only the best and freshest ingredients.
CHERYL: Our cakes create a big impression and a lasting memory at every occasion.
WHO ARE YOUR CURRENT CLIENTS AND HOW HAVE LOCALS REACTED TO YOUR EDIBLE ART?
CHERYL: We have clients from all over the world: Germany, Japan, India and mostly English expatriates based in Paris and across the Ile de France. The locals find our cake style fascinating and are quickly warming up to the idea of having spectacular edible art cakes for their special occasions.
Dew: At the moment, popular orders include weddings and baby smash cakes.
WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR MOST FULFILLING MOMENTS AND WHY?
DEW: Assembling a three-tier cake on a rocking, moving boat. That was definitely a ‘how did things ever get to this’ moment.
CHERYL: Yes! We were swaying from side to side and so was the cake! We had to catch things from every angle while constantly bouncing into each other and doing our best to prevent our delicate decorative pieces from snapping. It took us three stressful hours to finish the job with success – luckily the cake made it (fully intact) – and our client was very happy with the end result! That has to be the scariest yet funniest moment we’ve had so far.
WHAT ARE THE KEY THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN SOMEONE IS LOOKING FOR A CAKE?
DEW: It takes a lot of time and does not come cheap. It all starts with a personalized cake sketch, consolidation and a detailed back and forth. Every cake is different and tailored to suit each client and their special event, from the inside flavors to the outer edible art. Decorative pieces and intricate designs are all made, cut and created by hand and can take up to 40 days to complete. Clients are strongly advised to have their order booked minimum 2 weeks in advance.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR ENGLISH DREAM CAKE?
CHERYL: We hope to expand and to one day become a household name, but until then we are enjoying the journey. Stay tuned for what’s coming next in the near future.
ENGLISH DREAM CAKE IS BASED IN SAINT CLOUD (92210), AND TAKES ORDERS AND DELIVERS ACROSS FRANCE. FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT WWW.ENGLISHDREAMCAKE.CARBONMADE.COM OR CALL 06.89.14.33.62
