Meet Cheyanne Crowther

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cheyanne Crowther . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cheyanne below.

Cheyanne, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

For me, finding my purpose was something that I didn’t stumble upon but it was something that flourished from my interest to my passion. It wasn’t a straight path , but something that I always had in the back of my mind of wanting to do and making it a reality.

At a young age, I would watch cooking channels, or surf the web for new recipes to try.
I started to really enjoy baking, and mainly focused on that. I received the best 16th birthday gift ever, and it was opportunity to work on my 16th birthday cake at a local and well known bakery. The opportunity turned into adding me to their payroll as a baker / cake decorator. I learned techniques that were very time consuming and detailed oriented. Even though the hours were long, I really enjoyed being apart of someone’s special day.
Being able to provide something that brought friends and family around the dinner table held a special meaning to me.

I attended pastry school, while working at other bakeries. Cooking/ Pastry school is not for the faint of heart, and definitely had me thinking if this was the path I wanted to take. I pushed my dreams to the back burner, and decided to work in the corporate world. I found myself slowly baking again as a hobby, something that I found relieved the stress and got my mind off of the mundane corporate world. I fell in love with baking again, and decided to take the risk and accomplish something I set my mind to at a young age.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I own a bakery that specializes in custom cakes and cupcakes We offer a “small bites” selection along with our cakes and cupcakes.
We are known for our signature buttercream frosting. It’s not just sweet, but a little salty. I wanted our frosting to showcase our cake. It only took 14 years in the making to get it where I wanted it.

I love not only being able to be apart of but make a special moment in someone’s life just a little sweeter with our desserts. Thinking about being able to make something that gathers friends snd family around the dinner table and celebrate something big or small is what makes me continue to do this.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I would say the first one would be to believe in yourself. Once I stopped letting imposter syndrome win, and started believing in myself, I found that I pushed myself harder, found myself doing things out of my comfort zone, and was excited to do things that I typically would say no to,

Being willing to learn. Some will say “be a sponge”. I would agree, take it all in and be willing to try something you may not typically do. You never know when you will need to use it, or if that style will come back. I am grateful for the time I spent at the first bakery I ever worked at. I learned string work piping/ vintage style design. Fast forward 14 years and vintage style cakes are making a come back.

I appreciate my time not only in other bakeries, but also in the corporate world, where I was able to learn how to effectively listen and communicate with others. Communication is key with not only your employees, but your customers as well. I remember shadowing a senior manager and he said, “Always carry a 3×5 notecard with you. When a employee or peer approaches you regarding something that is important to them, pull out your notecard and take notes. You are pausing your day for a few minutes to listen to the person. When you get back with them, they feel heard.”

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

The most impactful thing my parents did for me is believing in me. I would not be where I am today in my career without them.
For my 16th birthday, my parents set up a meeting with a local bakery (The Bridal Kitchen- Jacque Delmont ) to have me design my own birthday cake( which was a surprise to me).
At the end of my meeting with Jacque she, asked if I wanted to work together on the cake. I was hired shortly after and worked with her for a little under 4 years. If it wasn’t for my parents believing in me, I may not be where I am in my career.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: thecopperwhisk.kc
• Facebook: TheCopperWhiskKC

Image Credits

Brooke Linquist