North Liberty’s Ginny Scott grows successful cake business, building on skills learned
–by Stephen Schmidt, North Liberty Leader
[NORTH LIBERTY, Iowa]– Life takes you by surprise sometimes, just as it did Ginny Scott.As a child growing up in Hopkinton, Scott, the owner of Ginny’s Cakes, said she always liked to draw, to paint and doodle.
Years later, as an adult, she began to love cooking and baking, enrolling in the culinary arts program at Kirkwood Community College in 2001.
But a love for cake decorating? That came as a surprise.
“I’ve always liked to cook and I’ve always liked to bake, but I never liked decorating until I took a class at Kirkwood,” Scott said.
Fast forward to 2009: Scott, after using her cake decorating skills at Hy-Vee to work her way through college, married her husband, Don, and had two daughters, Emi and Hana. The family then moved to North Liberty.
Resolved to stay at home with her daughters until they reached kindergarten age, Scott had no intention of starting her own business. However, she still made cakes, she said, as a creative outlet.
After making cakes for her niece and nephews birthday parties, people began asking for her cakes. So Scott, armed with a website, word of mouth, and decals on her vehicle, began her own custom cake making business out of her home this September.
But perhaps, of her unexpected story, the least surprising part is Scott’s success.
“I hoped that I would have a lot of orders, but I didn’t know what to expect since I didn’t have a store front or any advertising,” Scott said. “I’ve stayed pretty busy.”
After developing her passion for cake making, Scott has created her own white frosting (white chocolate butter cream) and rainbow cake recipes that are favorites with customers. Scott said her custom cakes– such as one recent creation shaped as a duck in a bubble bath– offer something to customers they can’t get other places.
“I don’t think you can just walk into a store and get (the kind of cakes) I do,” Scott said.