Meet Emma Moore | Cake Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Emma Moore and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emma, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
Most of my life I have lived along the Ohio River . I spent my childhood in the small town of Shadyside, Ohio and now reside in Martins Ferry about ten minutes away. Shadyside was a wonderful place to be a child. We lived just outside of town, what most would consider “in the country.” My Father was the main caregiver in our home, along with his parents who lived next door. He had incredible work ethic and when he wasn’t working you could find him at church , with family or fishing. He expected integrity and you were inspired to meet those expectations. He loved to sing and lead the singing at our home church. My grandfather was a preacher and my grandmother, most of her life, was a stay at home mom. They would sing on a local radio broadcast, tend the garden, and my grandmother quilted and crocheted while my grandfather was an artist. My father always encouraged the arts and music. At one point in my childhood, our family owned a bakery. Although it was for a short period, I loved being in the bakery with my sister and 2 aunts working all night. I didn’t realize, as a child how blessed we were to be raised in a loving Christian home with encouragement and inspiration. As an adult, these were the values my husband and I worked to provide for our children. My husband spent long hours working when our children were young, so that I could be that “stay at home mom” for our children, as my grandmother had been for us. My mother suffered illnesses that would take her away from home for long periods of time and so one of us always being there for them, was another important piece of the puzzle. Later in life my father remarried a wonderful woman who holds these same beliefs and values. She is my mom and friend. My husband and best friend, along with our now adult children with families of their own are my biggest supporters in my creative cake venture. Although I enjoy being a cake artist, I also enjoy working at the library here in Martins Ferry with a talented group of coworkers who have become my extended family. So when I’m not decorating cakes or at the library, you will find me at church, with my family, or fishing. I believe when you are surrounded by such positive influences and inspirations, the boundaries and risks of dreaming are not so great.
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have always been an artist in some form, just different mediums. I have baked since childhood and I think we all associate cake with celebration. It seems only natural to want to be a part of the best times, the big events, milestones. I had always baked and decorated for family and friends. Not quite what I do now however but I always enjoyed it. As my children got older and I found I had more time on my hands, I was unsure of what the next chapter in my life would look like. It was a conversation I was having with a neighbor, who I had previously baked for, that suggested cake decorating. A couple months later she and her husband invited us to a party at their home and I offered to bake. There was a local business owner at the party who ordered a couple cakes from me and that was how it started. The phone kept ringing, so I kept baking and decorating. I am self taught and love telling someone’s story. Every detail on my cakes tells something about the person. From the color palette to each design element. My cakes are a celebration of the individual. Their likes, lives and accomplishments.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
To my husband. He cheers me on at 1 am when I still have an hour to finish and will need to be back up at at 5am. He always takes the first picture of the finished cake to show his friends co workers and even someone in line at the bakery counter who wants something a little more personalized at the grocery store. He is the best driver you would ever want delivering your tiered cakes. He assists in the set up at event locations. We work as a team and I could not do it without him.

Facebook: Emmalee’s Sweet Dreams

Image Credits
Courtney Vilano