Nestled in a Proserpine arcade is a new brightly coloured shop with a quirky vintage vibe, selling sweet treats crafted by a professional cake decorator.
Jodi Dillon has established a bricks and mortar store to sell the special occasion cakes she makes through her business East Coast Cake Co.
Mrs Dillon has been working as a professional cake decorator for 17 years and it was a book that originally introduced Mrs Dillon to the craft.
She boughtEnchanted Cakes for Children by Debbie Brown and was “instantly hooked” on creating fondant pieces for cakes, from flowers to figurines and characters.
She started out in business with her mother and has created cakes for occasions across Mackay and the Whitsundays, including being the cake supplier for Hamilton Island Weddings.
“I took over the business solo in 2008 and have had the privilege of making celebration cakes from weddings to birthdays and baby showers and everything in between full-time ever since,” Mrs Dillon said.
“For me it’s always the constant creativity that keeps the apron on.”
Mrs Dillon said her secret weapon was her ability to adapt as a self-taught cake decorator.
“No one has been able to instil any rules or ‘this is how you do it’ on my work and so I’ve been able to develop my skill set with a lot of freedom to think outside the box,” she said.
Mrs Dillon services Mackay and the Whitsundays including the Whitsunday islands, mainland Whitsunday venues, Bowen, Cape Gloucester, Cape Hillsborough, Sarina and surrounding areas.
Brightly coloured macarons in various flavours are also available to buy at the Proserpine store.
Mrs Dillon, who opened her shop in late October last year, said it felt like the right time to commit to a store.
“I chose Prossie for my initial workspace as it’s close to home and school for the kids,” she said.
Mrs Dillon said supporting small business helped ensure money stayed in the region and locally owned establishments also went above and beyond for the community.
“I want to give the Whitsundays access to a high quality product and personalised service in a niche market that hasn’t until now been covered,” she said.
“I’m extremely proud to be the only shop of its kind in the Whitsundays and seeing the community’s response to the work, the shop and my services has been an absolute delight.
“I’m so excited to continue breaking boundaries in cake design and continue bringing quality scratch-made cakes, cupcakes, macarons and everything in between to people’s homes while they celebrate and create special memories.”
East Coast Cake Co is located at Shop 4 Centrepoint Arcade, 35 Main St, Proserpine.
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