Kimberly Bailey came to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career and take time-off from her routine as an actress in New York. A year after the big move, she put her career on hold when she was diagnosed with cancer. When she lost her hair, Bailey started taking a couple of classes on cake making.
“I love to cook and entertain, so I started playing with fondant,” Bailey said. “It turned out to be such a saving grace and it turned out to be a creative outlet.”
Bailey started making cakes for friends and family. The warm reception encouraged her to create The Butter End Cakery and rent out a catering space in Venice in June of 2009. Bailey expressed disbelief that the business started flourishing so quickly. She will move to a permanent location at 2709C Santa Monica Boulevard.
She commented how responsive the city of Santa Monica has been during the permit process. Despite hearing how stringent the process can be, she feels that Santa Monica really promotes businesses coming to the area. The new location should open around June, just in time for the Butter End’s one-year anniversary.
Bailey assisted Susan Carberry in TLC’s Ultimate Cake-off Challenge, which airs April 5 and pits the bakers against other cake artists. The experience was stressful, but “ridiculously fun” that brought her full circle in the pursuit of her Los Angeles dreams.
“It was really strange, because if I hadn’t gone through cancer and chemo and surguries, then I don’t think that I would have a business like this now,” Bailey said. “It’s turned out to be potentially the perfect thing for me, because it ties in TV and food and art.”
KATHERINE PEACH
Mirror Staff Writerkatherine@smmirror.com
