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Let them eat cake: Bakery orders 'amped up' with easing COVID rules

There are layers of planning that go into a wedding but one of the most important — the wedding cake —  has bakers on P.E.I. busy.

Bakers catching up with postponed weddings and celebrations

Tony Davis · CBC News ·
KGJ Bakeshop is all booked up for 2021 wedding cakes. (Kelsey Hannah/KGJ Bakeshop)

There are layers of planning that go into a wedding but one of the most important — the wedding cake —  has bakers on P.E.I. busy.

So busy, that some are no longer taking orders for 2021.

"It's definitely really picked up. You have people that are clients that are from 2020 and their wedding got postponed and it got moved to this year," said Kelsey Hannah, who runs KGJ Bakeshop.

"It really amped up the wedding year, and I think it will be for years to come. I think 2022 and 2023, because of this, will be big years for any type of wedding vendor."

Hannah said she works as a baker, but runs her bakeshop as a side hustle — and because she is the only one baking for her business — she is all booked up for the rest of 2021.

'People not only want to celebrate their birthdays, but the birthday they missed with their best friend or mom,' says Kelsey Hannah, who owns KGJ Bakeshop. (Jenna Rachelle Photography)

It's not just wedding cakes though — birthday cakes are popular requests at the moment as well.

"People not only want to celebrate their birthdays, but the birthday they missed with their best friend or mom," she said.

Courtney Van Horne, who runs Whisk and Sugar in downtown Charlottetown, said she thinks easing COVID-19 restrictions and capacity limits increasing for weddings and personal gatherings are the reason for the increase in demand.

"Wedding cakes, we are fully booked," she said. "We have been fully booked for the last month or so. We weren't expecting it at all. We do tend to book up fast but not this fast."

'As of right now it is just cupcake orders and bars,' says Courtney Van Horne, who runs Whisk and Sugar, a bakery in downtown Charlottetown. (Tony Davis/CBC)

Van Horne said she is fully booked for the summer, but will be opening for more bookings in September.

"Typically we do require two to three weeks for booking, again wedding cakes are a little bit different. We only book one to two a weekend," she said.

"As of right now it is just cupcake orders and bars."

Bev Campbell says she doesn't book too far out and usually bakes the cakes fresh the day they are requested at In the Mix Bakery. (Tony Davis/CBC)

While she is busy, Bev Campbell, owner of In the Mix Bakery in Mount Stewart, said she is still taking orders.

"We get cake orders daily. Wedding cakes, anniversary cakes, birthday cakes, baby cakes… all kinds of cakes," she said.

Campbell said she doesn't book too far out and usually bakes the cakes fresh the day they are requested — but said she would like 24 hours notice if anything is "too complicated."

These cakes were on their way out of the door at In the Mix on Wednesday afternoon. (Tony Davis/CBC)

Campbell said her bakery has done pretty well through the pandemic with people wanting to explore the province.

"I think with the COVID a lot of people did not travel off-Island so they travelled around the Island," she said.

A beluga whale hanging out in a nearby waterway also brought a bunch of business to the area, Campbell said.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tony Davis

Tony Davis is a video journalist with a focus on municipal government, housing and addiction for CBC Prince Edward Island. He produces content for radio, digital and television. He grew up on P.E.I. and studied journalism at Holland College. You can email story ideas to anthony.davis@cbc.ca.

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