I grew up with my grandparents till i was nearly 10. Whenever i went to visit my mum, a single mother with scarce resources, baking was what we did to relax. I learnt how to bake by instinct from her. By the time i was 8, she allowed me bake my first cake by myself. I was so proud of that cake.

Till now, the smell of a cake baking in the oven is very evocative of happy memories.

 

I moved to England after my undergraduate studies (supposedly to study for an MBA for one year!) I fell in love with England and settled here. When my son was born in 2009, I really (really) didn't want to place him in nursery and return to work (having sadly lost a baby before that). During maternity leave, i was determined to find a way to earn £500 a month before the end of  my maternity leave period. This sum was the difference between my take home pay and the child care costs I'd pay if I enrolled him in nursery.

 

 I set up the business as Cakes by Cynthia with an initial target to earn £500 a month. This soon became a much bigger business than I ever foresaw or planned as I went from making one wedding cake a week to several wedding cakes. The business soon outgrew my kitchen, then it outgrew the bespoke studio I built and I found myself taking on commercial premises on the high street.

 

When the time came to open the shop, I wanted a name that reflected what we did. I scanned the many lovely thank you notes and cards we had received and the words that kept reappearing on them were "Pretty" and "Gorgeous". And so I named the shop Pretty Gorgeous Cake Company in reflection of the fact that I now also employed staff. Soon we outgrew the first shop and moved to a bigger one on Parliament Square Hertford,  employing more staff and trainign apprentices.

 

 Leaving behind a corporate career, it has been dream come true to have the business grow and establish itself as the premier destination for wedding cakes in Hertfordshire, London, Essex, and Cambridgeshire with countless satisfied clients and over 3000 brides.

As the cake business expanded, I became determined to improve my skills with each cake and this pursuit of perfection has been rewarded with lots of Pretty Gorgeous Cake Company designs being featured in prestigious international magazines including: Vogue, Brides, Wedding Ideas, You & Your Wedding, Wedding Cakes A Design Source, and Herts & Beds Wedding. My babies are not quite babies anymore but I will always be grateful for cakes which allowed me to spend time with them at home.

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I am passionate about encouraging people to follow their hobbies and crafts. You never know what it could turn into. We are grateful to have been the official supplier to BRIT awards for more than a decade, to serve so many beautiful brides and to help celebrate countless happy occasions. It is always a privilege.

Cynthia