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Ronda McGreevy, formerly of Mackinac Island, shown here with a few of her cakes. |
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Ronda McGreevy can say she’s delivered cakes by bicycle. The owner of Great Turtle Cake Company once operated her business on Mackinac Island, where automobiles are not allowed, and she transported her cakes in a cart behind her bicycle.
"I have to say, delivering cakes on a bicycle was certainly the most unique story among the cake makers in my class. People couldn't believe it," Mrs. McGreevy said. "That's always the toughest part of a wedding cake: getting it where it needs to go."
Not one to avoid challenges, Mrs. McGreevy recently returned from a week-long cake-making class in Chicago, where she studied with famed cake maker Collette Peters. Ms. Peters is featured on the Food Network and her New York company produces cakes for celebrities, including a wedding cake for Marie-Chantal Miller and Prince Pavlos of Greece and an anniversary cake for the Renwick Museum as part of the 150th anniversary of the Smithsonian Institute.
"She's expanded the world of cake decorating," Mrs. McGreevy said of Ms. Peters' reputation and inventions. Mrs. McGreevy is noticeably enthusiastic about the expansion of her own artistic skills and the possibilities for future cakes.
"The class just opened up this whole world of techniques for me," she added.
“I worked with people with a wide range of abilities and interests, from places like Mexico City, Puerto Rico, Taiwan, Toronto, Canada, and Seattle. That made it really interesting.”
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Mrs. McGreevy learned to decorate with fondant, a type of frosting made of rolled sugar paste. The method produces a flat, porcelain-like finish on the cake, which is one of the latest trends in cake-making. She also honed her decorative skills, learning to make gum paste flowers and decorations. Gum paste is an edible substance made with powered sugar and glycerin that can be molded, shaped, and cut. Flowers made with gum paste look like porcelain and can be as elaborate or simple as the customer wants. Special tools for nearly every kind of flower help Mrs. McGreevy create botanically accurate lilies, daisies, and other flowers, down to the stamens and stems. The confections can be eaten or saved indefinitely.
"It's really an art in itself," she said. "You have to learn botany and flower arranging."
Flowers are hand-painted or airbrushed with edible paints and pastel chalks.
Her Les Cheneaux cake, decorated with dragonflies, cattails, waves and a sunflower, is one of eight specialty cakes she offers.
Others include "That '70s Cake," which features a tie-dye fondant and flowers, a Christmas holiday cake with a quilted fondant and poinsettia, and cupcakes crowned with butter-cream sunflowers. |
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Wedding cakes also top the list, and she once made as many as six cakes in one weekend for Mackinac Island weddings. Each cake was delivered by bicycle, in separate layers that were assembled at the reception site. Cake deliveries were challenging, and Mrs. McGreevy perfected techniques to ensure her cakes would arrive as near perfect as customers expected them.
“Picking out your wedding cake can be as exciting and expressive as picking a dress,” Mrs. McGreevy said. “You want it to be unique and expressive of your tastes.”
Mrs. McGreevy works hard to stay on top of cake-making trends like fondant and gum paste decorations, which have replaced fresh flowers in popularity.
Mrs. McGreevy has been making cakes for more than 10 years, after a Mackinac Island cake-making class launched her career.
“I knew I always wanted to do it, but it was really the class that gave me the tools to do it,” she said.
She ran her business on Mackinac Island for eight years until she moved to Traverse City with her husband, Edward, and their son, Ian. Traverse City never felt like home, so they jumped at the opportunity to buy the former Les Cheneaux Inn Bed and Breakfast in downtown Cedarville, which had a commercial kitchen. The Les Cheneaux area reminds Mrs. McGreevy of Mackinac Island, her home for 21 years and her husband’s for his entire life. Ed McGreevy still works on the island for Arnold Line Transit.
Mrs. McGreevy worked on Mackinac as a vocalist and choral director and as the school librarian. In Cedarville, she continues to teach piano and voice lessons to people of all ages. She has a bachelor’s degree in music from Western Michigan University and a master’s degree in library science from Central Michigan University.
She does not have a storefront, but invites people to call her at 484-2855 to make an appointment and view her cake models or photographs. She can also create cakes from a description or customers can bring her photographs of what they like. She recommends calling at least 48 hours before the cake is needed, and is now taking reservations for summer 2007 weddings.
Delivery by car or bicycle is available...
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