Hi, my name is Olivia Martel, but my friends call me ‘Liv, and I…‘Liv to bake. At the age of 19, with almost two years of college under my belt, I still had no idea where I was heading. From music and singing to painting and sculpting to hair and makeup to creative writing, they all fascinated me. So deciding exactly what I was most passionate about and what to make a career of was like having to
pick only one candy in the store: torture. Who could have known the answer would come from a bright red corset with black embroidery mounted on a funky zebra base…all edible? By the very early spring of 2011, I had discovered another art…culinary— more specifically, crafting funky cakes with the cool and colourful “material” known as fondant. My first experiment involved a basic chocolate cake, a simple marshmallow fondant and some swirl piping for a bit of playfulness. No big deal, you say, but here’s the thing: with every tuck and pinch and trim of the fondant, and with every twist and turn and dip and dot in the piping, I forgot about everything else and floated into another world. There was only me and joy…and the sudden need to try it again. And that I did: kooky cupcakes, a three-tier Valentine’s Day cake for my friends and, then, cupcakes disguised as mini-burgers. By May 2011, the reviews from friends and family gave me the courage to try my hand at something “big” for my best friend’s birthday. And so, after some 10 hours of fondant frenzy and piping pandemonium, came the bright red corset on the funky zebra base, an unforgettable smile on my friend’s face, a happy picture on Facebook…and close to 200 designer cake orders ever since. I consider everything that’s happened to me with my cake business as serendipity times 100, one lovely, tasty, morale-boosting, smile-generating surprise and circumstance after another. I owe so much to my friends and family and to all my customers to date…By giving me a chance, having confidence in me and showering me with kind words…and with oh so many referrals, they’ve allowed me to unlock my true passion and finally discover where I’m heading. In January 2013, I attended the Bonnie Gordon College of Confectionary Arts in Toronto. It was an incredible 270 hours of learning, discovery and self-expression,
where I not only honed my artistry in cake decorating, but also learned
about the business-side of my craft. I'm now a certified cake designer, ready to make cake magic for you in
Ottawa, be it classical or fanciful! In every cake I have the honour of designing for them in the future, I promise to inject my heart and soul…and, for good measure, the sweet taste of serendipity.
