Occasionally Cake Welcomes New Cake Decorator

During her first day on the job at Mount Vernon cake shop , Nicole Garcia decorated a cake that resembled a zombie’s head.

“I had two cakes that day, a zombie cake and a Hello Kitty cake,” Garcia recalled. “The zombie cake was for a 12-year-old boy. The parents called and said, ‘Make it as bloody as possible.’”

Garcia is now fulfilling her life-long dream of being a cake decorator at Occasionally Cake. Hailing from Park City, Utah, Garcia and her husband moved to Crystal City six months ago after her husband got a job at an economic consulting firm.

Garcia started decorating cakes during her undergraduate years at Brigham Young University, when she was asked to make a friend’s wedding cake between semesters. That one cake ignited her passion for cake decorating, and she continued to decorate cakes as she completed her bachelor’s degree in advertising. Two months ago, she heard that Occasionally Cake was hiring a cake decorator through an email listserv and was hired over the summer.

“Reading cake blogs and watching Food Network was how I got ready for the job,” said Garcia with a laugh.

Her new position has been a learning experience for Garcia, who credits owners Sabrina Campbell and Marcia Crandall with mentoring her.

“In cake decorating, your creativity has to come out. Things change every week,” she said. “You’re on your feet thinking of new ways to come up with a high heel shoe.”

Her creativity has earned her the respect of her colleagues and her new boss.

“Nicole is a wonderful addition to our team, always coming up with artistic and innovative ways to decorate the cakes,” said Campbell.

When Garcia is not working, she enjoys cooking and exploring Washington D.C. with her husband, and exercising her sense of adventure. She went skydiving with her husband and the pair will be going on a hot air balloon ride next week. She is a supporter of the Garmeen Foundation, which helps the poorest have access to microfinance and technology and she’s also an avid piano player.