6 minute read
BAKE, CRAFT & CREATE
Mercedes Delano credits her high school home economics class with her passion for creating, especially baking.
The owner of Bake, Craft and Create, Delano said she always crafted, but when she won first place for a black skirt with side buttons she made for a competition at her high school in Virginia, she realized she had talent to share.
While creating continued to be a hobby for her, Delano pursued a career as a licensed massage therapist and worked with the special needs community. She moved to Connecticut and had her four children, now ages 20-34, and needed to find a way to make money while putting her children first.
Delano sold various creations at craft fairs and found her baked goods were best sellers.
“I am mostly self-taught, but I have taken classes, some online, to increase my knowledge,” she said, noting she is proud to stay on top of trends and tech. After years of honing her baking skills and becoming known for her cupcakes, she decided it was time to open her own studio and share her love and talent for baking with others. Then, Covid hit.
Delano didn’t let a little thing like a global pandemic stop her from opening Bake, Craft and Create, LLC at 142 North Rd., East Windsor, CT. In fact, she worked even harder to make it a success. At her studio, she not only bakes for others – she helps others bake. Bake, Craft and Create offers cookie and cake decorating classes for all ages, hosts birthday parties and has special events, such as the popular Vino & Cake decorating event.
Bake, Craft and Create also hosts a yearly gingerbread decorating event that Delano said is always a hit, especially with families.
“Everyone gets their own pre-built house to decorate that I put together using my own royal icing,” she said.
All the supplies to decorate the house are provided and Santa makes a visit.
“Everyone 12 and under receives a gift from Santa and families can take photos – it’s a lot of fun,” Delano said.
This year’s event is Dec. 10.
Vino & Cake is exactly what it sounds like: a fun night drinking wine and learning to decorate a cake. Delano said the next Vino & Cake event is Dec. 15 and is sure to fill quickly. The focus, she said, is on fondant work.
Fondant is a sweet frosting that is rolled and smoothed, not applied with a knife. Fondant alone doesn’t taste like much, but Delano said her recipe tastes great. So does her buttercream.
“I specialize in floral cupcakes and my buttercream is very popular,” she said. “My buttercream and vanilla sugar cookies are a
good pair.”
Bake, Craft and Create also teams up for classes at other locations, including Powder Hollow Brewery. Delano said she loves teaching decorating skills, whether it’s a Christmas floral cupcake or an Easter cookie.
Delano said she loves baking cupcakes, especially mini cupcakes. Actually – baking a smaller version of anything makes her happy.
Bake, Craft and Create also offers summer camps for children and Delano has plans to host Joyce’s Cake Art Camp for people with disabilities.
“I want them to be able to create something on their own at their own pace, with no judgment,” she said, adding that the camp is named for a friend’s mother who played an important role in Delano’s life and introduced her to the special needs community.
Delano, 55, said now that her children are grown and her business is flourishing, she is pursuing her dream of earning her degree as a pastry chef.
“I’ve been doing this for a long time – 30 years – and I have many friends who have appeared on Food Network and Martha Stewart’s show, and I have learned from them and studied on my own, but I want that diploma,” Delano said.
Delano is confident in her abilities and what she offers at Bake, Craft and Create.
TO LEARN MORE AND REGISTER FOR CLASSES AND CAMPS, VISIT BAKE, CRAFT AND CREATE, LLC ON FACEBOOK AND AT BAKECRAFTANDCREATE.COM
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