Meet Kalyani Vaddepalli | Cake Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kalyani Vaddepalli and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kalyani, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I never thought I would start my own baking business. By profession, I am a software engineer. However, I always had the artistic side in me that shined bright in various ways. During my upbringing in India, I saw my friends make cakes in a pressure cooker with sand because there weren’t many ovens back in the day. As a hobby, I used to watch a lot of cooking shows, which portrayed various cuisines and foods. Fast forward many years, I got married and moved to the US. I saw various appliances in my kitchen and I was intrigued to try to bake a cake for my husband’s birthday. I watched several YouTube videos and read several articles before I dared to bake a blackforest cake. I finally dared to bake a black forest cake. I was flipping my notes multiple times before completing a step. It took me 3 hours overall to bake the cake. Looking at my first cake made me so proud and happy. All of our friends at my husbands birthday party loved the cake and motivated me to bake cakes for their home events. In 2018, my friends son asked me to make a decorated, transformer cake for his 6th birthday party. I wasn’t sure if I would make it as it was for an event so I did not commit. However, I kept thinking about that little boys request so often that I couldn’t resist but try. I learned about fondants figures, how to work with buttercream, and so many other things. A lot of firsts went into baking that cake. I finally did it – a large decorative, transformer cake just as he asked – I made it for him and took it to his party. He was so surprised and happy that he burst out with joy. Seeing him happy, made me happy. From there, I started baking cakes for only my close friends and family. Everyone I baked a cake for always said it was time for me to start a baking business but I never took it seriously until my family moved to Texas in 2022. Soon after moving to Texas, I began my baking business and I am so thankful for a successful 1 year as Oven Addict.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
By profession, I am a software engineer, where I spend most of my time during the weekdays in front of my laptop providing solutions. I am a cake artist when I am not in front of my laptop. At the core, I am a mother to a lovely boy, a software engineer professional and a passionate cake artist. Creating cake designs after a busy work day/week helps me destress and stay sane.Handling all three roles can get demanding at times. However, with the support of my family, I am able to pursue my passion. I believe I am unique in what I do because I am artistic at creating edible figurines, making treats, baking decorative cakes for events, and creating fusion desserts.. I treat every cake as my first cake so it allows me to put equal effort in every cake. Every opportunity excites me to continue to do what I do. I have learned to never be afraid to price my value. At the start of my business I charged less as I wasnt sure of pricing my work.However, I soon learned that the quality of my work speaks volumes. My first priority is always customer satisfaction. I listen to my customers needs and give my 100% efforts to use my creative sparks to make it a reality. Majority of my customers have given me multiple cake orders and continue to return. In addition, my customers share about oven_addict with their friends. I strongly believe this is truly because of the incredible amount of importance I give to using quality ingredients when baking my cakes and giving equal priority to taste and finishing of the cake. I hope to grow in this space and bake more sweet memories!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My first shoutout is to my husband, Vamshi, for motivating me in times where I doubt myself and think I can not do it. He always stands by my side and says ‘you can do it.’ Also, he deserves a lot of credit for handling a toddler while I spend the time in the kitchen baking and for spending his time with to help shop for supplies and pack before the delivery. Next, I am grateful to my parents for inspiring me gain the creativity and artistic skills I have today. I grew up watching my mom DIY things in our home and it has inspired me tremendously in the process. Last but not the least, a very huge shoutout to all of my clients for their continuous trust in me to make their and their loved ones days extra special with my sweet desserts.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oven_addict/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Oven-Addict-100550566002166/