When opening a new business, Summer Ferguson’s recipe for success combines dreams, ambition, hard work and talent.
After a few years of making decorative cakes and cupcakes at home for weddings, birthdays and other events, Ferguson is nearly ready to open Iced and Sliced Cakery in the strip mall at 610 Attla Way in Kenai.
“Kenai doesn’t have anything like this,” Ferguson said. … “This isn’t necessarily a bakery, it is a cakery. But it gives that pastry side to Kenai so people don’t have to drive to Soldotna.”
While Ferguson, 24, has been baking since she was a teenager, her interest in making cakes professionally started five years ago with a Fourth of July birthday cake for her father-in-law.
“I decided to do the full-on fondant decorated cake and tried to make it really yummy, and it turned out terrible,” she said. “But we put sparklers on it and that made it really awesome.”
Since she began her business from home, Ferguson has created 80 different cake flavors including gluten-free, vegan and diabetic options.
Along with whole cakes, cake by-the-slice and cupcakes, which will be on a rotating flavor menu, Ferguson will also sell macaroons, croissant-doughnuts and espresso.
Customers’ top favorite cake flavors include Strawberries N Champagne, Mimosa, Caramel Mocha and Oreo Ferguson said.
“Oreo is just a favorite of kids and adults,” she said “I don’t think anybody can grow out of that.”
Ferguson began work on her shop in April while still fulfilling orders out of her home kitchen and taking care of her two young children with her husband.
“I had to turn down so many (orders) because I’m trying to open shop,” she said.
Ferguson describes the shop décor as rustic and industrial. Corrugated metal siding and distressed wood with pops of blue throughout the shop, do-it-yourself art and one-of-a-kind finds achieve her vision.
She hopes the warm, family-friendly atmosphere will encourage customers to sit down and stay a while.
“I want it to be a place where people can enjoy themselves and hang out,” she said.
Starting out Ferguson plans to be open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
The grand opening is scheduled for Aug. 9. The first 24 customers will receive a free cupcake and Ferguson will have a drawing for a dozen free cupcakes.
Ferguson said while her venture has been called ambitious at this point in her life, she’s had a lot of help and support from friends and family.
“They’ve known that this has been a dream of mine for a long time and they just want to see it take off,” Ferguson said.
Kaylee Osowski can be reached at kaylee.osowski@peninsulaclarion.com.
Photo by Kaylee Osowski/Peninsula Clarion Summer Ferguson stands in her soon-to-be opened shop on July 17, Iced and Sliced Cakery in the strip mall at 610 Attla Way in Kenai. Ferguson has been making cakes out of her home for weddings, birthdays and other events for about five years. The grand opening of her shop is scheduled for Aug. 9 starting at 10 a.m.
