Meet Ana Ingram | Custom Cake Artist

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

Hi Ana, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
After having a career for almost 20 years, I knew that I would like to have the opportunity to work for myself. The freedom to create the things that spoke to my passion and the ability to set my own terms is probably the most appealing and driving point of having your own business.

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.
Several years ago, I started taking my love for baking seriously realizing I could do more than be that person who only brought baked goods to work events or social gatherings. This was around the time where more well-known names in the industry were having shows on TV. Seeing this sparked an interest of being able to create amazing artistry through baking. I gave it a go and tried out several designs that I thought I could achieve. Looking back on my earlier days, I worked with fondant a lot making fun themed cakes. Over the years, I’ve been able to hone in on what I enjoy the most in creating custom designs.

When I first started out, I had no idea about the business side of baking and custom cake design. I would charge very little to nothing at times and never gave it a second thought. My focus was more on making someone happy with what I’d created. Let me say, that is not sustainable in business especially if you are truly serious about having a thriving business. That was a lesson I learned over the years and I actually don’t have any regrets about it. Passion and business can go together but there is a much needed balance and each person has to find that balance for themselves. If you are not happy with what you are doing, then don’t push yourself to do it. I also encourage people to only offer things that they actually want to do. Being a jack of all trades but a master of none will definitely cause you to have early burnout. Find those two or three things you really love and build on them.

Customer service is extremely important to me. I never want a client to feel that they didn’t receive what they paid for and that there was no care and pride taken when crafting their custom cake. This is one of the many reasons I explain that I do not duplicate another cake artist’s work. I ask for inspiration photos to have an idea of the direction they’d like to go in and then take some of those important elements and incorporate them in their design, Custom design isn’t common so each cake should be specific to each client.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am actually new to the Atlanta area so I am still learning my way around. I’ve been to the Ponce City Market a few times and have enjoyed a couple places there. I like the drinks at Minero. The Botanical Gardens are beautiful and had a very beautiful set up during Christmas. We’d likely do the walk-up trail at Stone Mountain to start the day off. The Atlanta Breakfast Club or Toast on Lennox for a follow-up breakfast/brunch and then the Aquarium. There are so many places and restaurants I’m looking forward to seeing and trying out,

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people that have been encouraging of me and my journey but the two most impactful have been my daughter and my husband. My daughter is the driving force behind all that I do. I know that she is watching me and I work diligently to set an example worth following. My husband is one of my biggest supporters. That may go without saying but having a huge support system makes pursuing your goals a lot easier.

Website: www.terescakeface.com

Instagram: terescakeface

Facebook: Tere’s Cake Face

Image Credits
katymurrayphotography