What makes the perfect gift, every time? “Cakes!” says Lorna Roberts, owner of newly launched business Ezzie Cakes. “I got into cake-making through friends wanting cakes. I had so many friends who got married in the same year & I didn’t know what to buy them – so I made cakes.”
Lorna, a mother-of-two from the Peverell area of the city, launched her new business in October 2010 after coming on the Outset Plymouth programme. “Starting my new business was a challenge. It’s only me doing it, and I have a two-year-old daughter at home, and a five-year-old at school. My husband persuaded me to attend Outset Plymouth’s free workshops after seeing an article in the local paper. I just wanted to be self-employed!”
Having never done anything like this before, Lorna welcomed the support she received, not only from Outset Plymouth, but also from other entrepreneurs on the programme. “I enjoyed Outset and the sense of community and sharing ideas with other people wanting to set up their own businesses. The team at Outset have been very helpful and especially with help in PR and marketing in the local press recently.”
Lorna is finding success with her new venture and its unique selling point. “Because of my art background, my cakes are a bit different. I tend to get people wanting unusual one-off stuff. These are edible sculptures!”
In an exciting twist of events, Ezzie Cakes recently featured on Wedding TV’s The Great Cake Bake, where pre-nuptial couples were asked to visit three cake-makers and choose one to make confectionery they don’t get to see until their wedding day.
Ezzie Cakes was the chosen winner, and on the big day at the wedding near Tavistock last year, she unveiled a 4ft-tall, six layered cake, covered in snowball shaped fudge cakes.
“My long term plans are to open my own shop where people can come in and see how they are made, and make it fun, and also an educational process.”
Outset Plymouth has been funded by the ERDF Competitiveness and Employment programme, which invests in activities that will have a long-term impact on the growth and develop of the local economy.
For more information on Lorna Roberts please contact Outset Plymouth on Tel 0800 0285699
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