SAGINAW, MI - It all began when Kara Zummer took Wilton classes with her father to learn how to decorate cakes in high school.
"I've always been very artistic, but I hadn't really been able to find an avenue to fuel it into, and that is where I figured out that I love cake decorating and that was my creative outlet," Zummer said.
From there, she gained her experience from bakeries in Michigan and Wisconsin before moving back to Saginaw, she said.
Over five years in business now, Zummer has been running her cottage bakery, Kara Zummer Baking, since March 2019.
Throughout her 18 years as a professional baker, Zummer said she learned a variety of skills, such as decorating, developing flavors, running a commercial kitchen and creating pastries.
In October 2019, Zummer said her family was expecting their daughter in November and she wanted to stay home with the children.
"The plan was always to have me stay home and then I could start this business and slowly build a base for myself," Zummer said.
Zummer said her family is working toward running the business out of a commercial space in the future.
When she isn't creating custom orders, Zummer said she likes to attend events, wedding shows and farmers markets to sell her baked goods to more people.
The Thomas Township Farmers Market was a great spot for Zummer to set up her baked goods last summer, she said.
While her most popular items tend to be French macarons and decorated cookies and cakes, the farmers market crowd gravitated to Zummer's homemade pop tarts made with fresh, local fruit.
"I actually tried, if I could, to pick the fruit myself, if not at least buy it locally," Zummer said. "I was able to offer different stuff. It wasn't centered around any certain event so I could play around a little bit and experiment with what I was offering and get feedback."
Now that the Christmas and New Year holidays are behind us, Zummer said she likes to shift her focus to booking weddings along with gearing up for the Super Bowl and Valentine's Day.
Zummer said she can also fill custom orders off her menu, such as birthday cakes, smash cakes and catering desserts for baby showers or bridal showers.
She encourages anyone to reach out so she can fulfill anyone's vision of what they may be looking for.
To learn more and to place orders, check out the Kara Zummer Baking Facebook page here or email Zummer directly here.
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