Cody Odom unveiled her hidden talent when she baked and decorated her first cake for her son’s first birthday. She realized she saved money by hand-making her own dessert and learned that the artistic skill came naturally to her. She began sharing her new hobby with friends and family for special occasions.
Her ‘hobby’ outgrew her home, and 10 years later, the need for a full-fledged operation was in order.
Odom opened Cake-aholics last May in Millbrook and has grown her passion into a successful career in less than a year.
With the help of her assistant, Laken Dassel, who has worked alongside Odom since March 2017, Odom produces custom cakes for any occasion, and bakes cookies and cupcakes fresh daily that are available in her storefront.
“I really enjoy the decorating aspect of the business, but what I enjoy most is having a satisfied customer. It’s hard to run your own business because you are 100 percent responsible for the outcome of the product,” explained Odom.
Each cake must be at least ordered two weeks in advance and is custom made based on a client’s specifications. Everything that goes into producing that delectable treat is handmade in Odom’s shop by her and Dassel.
“People really don’t understand everything that goes into what we do here,” said Odom.
From the original recipes that are constantly tweaked and tested to the designs and decorations that adorn each dessert, Odom and Dassel often put days into perfecting a customer’s request.
“We are both self-taught and practice often. It can get stressful when people want specific things, but if we’re unfamiliar with a technique we just YouTube it or use the internet. We can pretty much figure out how to do anything though,” said Dassel, who began working in a bakery when she was 16.
Dassel has her own skill set, different from Odom’s, that helps the women excel as a strong team. Each of them learns from the other, and they are constantly improving their techniques and undertaking new projects.
While Odom has some traditional recipes she uses, she often experiments and asks her brother to try each new concoction.
“He calls himself Head QC – Head Quality Control. He’s very honest with me, though, and will not sugarcoat anything.” said Odom.
The standard cake base for weddings and birthdays is a vanilla cake because people seem to really like it, said Odom. All icing flavors are a buttercream base.
Although the majority of Cake-aholics orders are for birthdays, Odom said, they get plenty of wedding requests and enjoy being a part of a bride’s big day.
Currently, Odom said, she already has many wedding cakes booked for the upcoming year, and with that, her reassurance is flourishing.
“Doing wedding cakes doesn’t bother me like it used to. I used to get bad anxiety because there’s so much pressure for it to be perfect. But once you’ve done so many, it starts to come naturally, and you become more confident in your skills,” said Odom.
Additions of burlap, ribbon and texture are at the forefront of the popular wedding cake requests. While Cake-aholics will hand deliver each cake and has cake stands for bride’s to borrow, any supplemental supply – such as cake toppers, natural flowers and extra decorations – must be provided by the bride.
“People are steering away from fondant and going for the messy icing look. The rustic, more vintage cakes are in style right now,” said Odom.
Wedding cakes are baked at least three days in advance, to ensure there is ample time for decorating and correcting any mishaps that may occur. Odom prefers a month’s notice for any wedding cake pre-orders.
Cake-aholics is beginning to get involved with community events, and the Millbrook Christmas parade was its first outing. Odom also was a vendor at the Millbrook Mardi Gras Festival this month.
Her community outreach stems from more than just public gatherings. Odom offers military discounts, along with discounts for law enforcement, firefighters or medical personnel.
“They’re out saving lives. The last thing they should be stressing about is a cake,” said Dassel.
Also, if Odom has any leftovers from the week, she drops them off to public safety stations or hospitals for them to enjoy.
Cake-aholics is open Tuesday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. The store is located at 2536 Highway 14 in Millbrook, and Odom can be reached at 334-517-6880. For more information, visit the Cake-aholics Facebook page.
