Though Jennifer Wilson has been in business for less than a year, she has shown a knack for public relations. When NJ 1015's "Jersey Guys" spoke about how they needed a cake for an event they were hosting in Atlantic City, the owner of Red Carpet Cakes offered to provide them one -- free. Several months later, she rang up WMMR's "Preston and Steve" team and offered to bake them a "gadzooks" cake named after the morning team's catch phrase.
The result was public relations gold. The 27-year-old Cherry Hill native got tons of free publicity and a jump in orders at her Mount Holly bakery. She even heard from some soldiers based in Iraq, who wanted the gadzooks cake delivered to them. (Alas, not possible because it needs to be refrigerated.) Then there was the request for a birthday cake designed with a picture of mooning hippies in a green Volkswagen bug with the words "Happy Butt Day" written on it.
In an interview with PhillyInc, Wlson discussed the trials and tribulations of balancing family life with the demands of running a business 13-hour days, six days a week. Plus, she offers some insight on how she's lost weight even while surrounding by delicious baked treats.
PhillyInc: Why did you locate in Mt. Holly ?
Wilson: There was an opportunity here for a bakery. Every other area is saturated with bakeries and grocery stores.
PhillyInc: How did you get started as a baker?
Wilson: I started as a counter-person at Classic Cake Co. in Cherry Hill. ... There was a guy who worked there in the back who showed me how to decorate a cake and make roses, and after high school I decided to go to culinary school [at Atlantic County Community College]. I would sneak back to the kitchen area and watch people decorate cakes. It was something I was very interested in.
PhillyInc: What interested you in particular?
Wilson: It was the art of creating something beautiful out of icing. I found it amazing. The art of cake decorating amazed me.
PhillyInc: Did you have any other mentors?
Wilson: Tony Gallo, owner of Gallo's Bakery in Mount Laurel, taught me how to perfect my art and do it on a larger scale -- how to be able to stack a wedding cake and carve-shaped cakes. He taught me how to airbush and draw pictures on cakes. He always pushed me to do things faster and faster and faster.
PhillyInc: Bakeries are getting hit with increased prices for key indgredients and butter. How is that affecting you?
Wilson: It's something I have to deal with. I can't really raise my prices too high because of the area I'm in. You have to take a hit here and there. Hopefully, people will keep buying and buying and buying.
PhillyInc: How did you get hooked up with the Jersey Guys?
Wilson: I heard them on the radio (talking about needing a cake for a promotional event). ... I called them up and said put me on with the Jersey Guys. They said make sure it was huge. It had hand-molded girls in bikinis and a boxing ring along with a backdrop of the Atlantic City boardwalk. It took me a week to do everything for that cake.
PhillyInc: What about Preston and Steve?
Wilson: Last year, I won a trip from Preston and Steve to Mexico. They talk about their Gadzooks ice cream all of the time and I e-mailed them and said I want to make a Gadzooks cake for you guys.
PhillyInc: Did that have any impact?
Wilson: I had guys over in Iraq e-mail me to say, `Can you ship the gadzooks cake?' [Nope, sorry, its peanut butter chocolate custard would never hold up without refridgeration.] I said to them that when you get back it's on me. ... I don't have a huge budget for advertising. so I have to be creative in the ways I put myself out there.
PhillyInc: Parking isn't abundant on the street where your shop is located. Has that been a problem?
Wilson: That's probably the No. 1 complaints by customers. We're trying to get a couple of the spots with 15-minute time limits so people can go in and out. ... Maybe we'll do a carry-out service like the restaurants.
PhillyInc: Has it been tough to balance your family obligations with the needs of your business? [Wilson is married and has a 3-year-old son, Zachary.]
Wilson: It was a tough decision going into business. I do my best to make every minute count with him. I always have guilt when he has to go to daycare. I am hoping that this will eventually lead to building a stable financial future for my family and me.
PhillyInc: What about your husband Joe?
Wilson: He wants to go back to school and study to be in the health care field -- nursing, physical therapy or something like that. He's helping my dream come true. I'd like to do the same thing for him.
PhillyInc: What's been your biggest surprise as a new business owner?
Wilson: Definitely employees. ... Realizing that people don't care about my business the way that I do. I guess I have an issue of trusting people too much and expecting them to be here forever and they are not. People want to come in and get their paycheck and leave. They don't care if my business fails. The employees I have now are good, but I'm always keeping my guard.
PhillyInc: Do you never run into Bridezillas when doing wedding cakes?
Wilson: It's not even brides anymore. It's people who come in for a little birthday cake. People are nuts over their cakes. ... I do the best to accommodate them.
PhillyInc: How do you avoid the temptation of your own products?
Wilson: It just becomes work to you. It doesn't have that "you're not suppose to have it" appeal. ... You know what's funny is that since I've started the business, I have lost 15 pounds.
