Celebrity Cake Designer Caters to the People, Too

Ordering with Just Cake in Capitola isn’t just a transaction – it's an experience.

When Marina Sousa, owner and designer, and Dawn Nemec, decorator, sit down with a client, they design a custom cake that will be remembered by wedding guests forever.  

Having competed in Food Network Challenges and appeared as a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Sousa is a nationally-recognized pastry chef. Designing an 11-foot-tall cake for Oprah Winfrey, a wedding cake for Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston and a sweet 16 cake for Miley Cyrus don’t even begin to name her amazing accomplishments.

Competitions keep their creativity fresh with new ideas, said Demec. When designing cakes for clients, they are constrained by their budget. With competitions, they can let their imaginations run wild.

"We always try to do something that we’ve never seen before," said Sousa. "It’s our only opportunity to do whatever we want."

Sousa said she believes the purpose of challenges is to push the envelope.

“I don’t like people going on competition shows and recreating what’s been done before,” she said.

The bakers aren’t the only ones learning from the shows. Sitting on their couches at home, future clients learn about what fondant and ganache are. While Sousa said it’s helpful for her clients to know the vocabulary, they sometimes expect cakes to be produced in a short time because of how it’s portrayed on TV.

Whether you know exactly what you want or have no idea, the Just Cake designers are there to create a cake with you. When people who have no ideas, Sousa and Nemec design with greater creative spirit. Sousa said that she thinks those cakes turn out better because they can adjust as they create rather than sticking to the strict desires of the client.

After working in Southern California, Sousa attended Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley where she graduated with a degree in Baking and Pastry Arts.

While she worked for a cake designer in Beverly Hills, Sousa encountered a high-maintenance crowd.

"I remember sitting and listening to people argue and thinking, 'It’s just cake.'"

So Sousa settled in her hometown of Santa Cruz and opened Just Cake in January 2003. For two years, she ran the business as a one-woman show, decorating 14 cakes per weekend.

Nemec joined Sousa around seven years ago after leaving her job at The Buttery. After producing volume cakes there, Nemec said she wanted to get into high-design, detailed cakes.

Partners in crime, Sousa and Nemec share the design process even though they often have completely different ideas. Sousa looks at the big picture and structure while Nemec looks at details and attaining perfection.

After buying Colette Peters’ book, The Art of Cake Decorating, Nemec taught herself how to make cakes with intricate sugar decorations. Whenever one of her friends needed a cake for a birthday or wedding celebration, she eagerly volunteered herself.

"Like anything in the arts, the best way to learn is by doing," said Nemec.

Just Cake offers competitive prices at an average of eight to ten dollars per serving. Since they have been on national TV, Sousa said that locals will assume a sky-high price and won't even call.

Many flavors of cake and fillings are available to mix and match. Sousa’s favorite is butter vanilla with white chocolate Bavarian cream and raspberries while Nemec’s combination of choice is marble cake with mocha chocolate chip cream and espresso ganache.

Just Cake specializes in wedding cakes, accounting for 95 percent of their designs, but also creates groom’s cake including airplanes and cars.

To design a cake with Sousa and Nemec, schedule a consultation at 831-345-9839 or by emailing inquiries@justcake.com.