We recently had the chance to connect with Mary DeCicco and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Mary, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
What I enjoy most outside of everything being balanced currently, is snuggles with our sweet baby boy. My husband and I were blessed with him last December. There will always be another cake to frost, royal icing to pipe, fondant to roll, pans to scrub, lesson plans to write up, homeworks to correct, or field trips to plan and attend, but the snuggles have their expiration. We saw that reality with Mikayla and Gracie, for whom KayCie Cakes is named. Before we knew it, our girls were so grown up. Right now we are soaking in the early months with our sweet boy, knowing that these days will fly by.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My business is KayCie Cakes and it started in September 2020, while still living in Miami. I am a home baker, but I learned most of what I know while working at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery in New York City. There was a thrill and adrenaline to working in the kitchen, some may even say a craze. The shift started at 5am and you were on your feet all day until around 5pm sometimes. The day started with decorating lemon tarts with the prettiest meringue swirls, piping silky whipped cream into parfait cups, filling and glazing chocolate eclairs, and so much more. I quickly learned that detail mattered in everything and that I really enjoyed making things beautiful. The day moved on with bulk production on the cookie station while also baking the entire pastry team’s production for the day. This meant running up and down flights of stairs, to get to Per Se’s ovens which we used. It was a constant workout, but I didn’t mind the hard work. I look back now and realize that I was learning time management which is so valuable to what I do now.
After leaving Bouchon, I worked at a few other bakeries where I learned to stack and fill cakes. I also learned how to work with fondant and how to finish cakes. My time in the industry ended when I became full-time Mommy. I won’t lie, but at first I really missed it and wished to get back to it. But the long hours of being a pastry chef were not compatible with the time that I knew I wanted to spend with my children.
KayCie Cakes started following the end of Mikayla’s second cancer treatment. Since then she endured one more reoccurrence and long treatment. God has made Mikayla so resilient through the darkest of days and has given her such peace and joy through it all. I often think about Mikayla when I am going through something difficult and I tell myself that if Mikayla can do it, so can I. She has now been in the clear for three years almost. During the initial treatment, I kept busy and made a few cakes for nieces and nephews. This helped me to realize that baking was a good outlet for me. It was a helpful way to cope with the stress and guilt of being away from Gracie while being with Mikayla. Once treatment was completed, I had more time to focus on KayCie Cakes in its very newborn stage. Over the past five years of KayCie Cakes, we have balanced homeschooling, getting Mikayla back to her base line post treatment, gathering new clientele in the Charleston area since moving, and welcoming Marcus into our crew.
In the next chapter of KayCie Cakes, I am blending my love of teaching with my love of baking. I am launching a baking club for kids ages 7+. The classes will teach the basics of mixing and rolling doughs, piping technique, stacking and decorating cakes, just to name a few. The kids will learn time management, organizational skills, and confidence in the kitchen – skills which I believe are so valuable to learn at a young age. The classes will showcase several seasonal baked goodies to look forward to.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who taught you the most about work?
I learned a lot about what it is to work hard from my high school track coach, Ms. Miller. She made it clear that if I put in the time and energy, while also putting up with the exhaustion, pain, losses, and disappointments, then I would see victories and personal bests. She was right. Running track throughout high school taught me how to work hard to reach my goals. My favorite verse in the Bible uses the runner as a visual to readers. It goes like this, “And let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross” (Hebrews 12: 1,2). Life is full of hardships and heart wrenching setbacks, but I keep in mind that life isn’t a sprint but a marathon that God wants me to persevere in.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I wouldn’t say that I wanted to give up on KayCie Cakes, but I definitely had to reprioritize and put things on hold with the business. Giving birth for the third time and moving to a new state, certainly made me question if I should keep it going. I had been busy in Miami with the business up until the last week leading up to the move. When I packed away the Kitchen Aid and all of my tools and decorations, I questioned what starting back up would look like. The excitement and thrill of moving our family for a new opportunity trumped the uncertainty of KayCie Cakes though.
Now that Marcus is a little older and now that Mike and I are a little less sleep deprived, I can finally wrap my head around the business and what this new exciting chapter will bring. With the new homeschool year starting, my lesson planning is in full force with what the baking classes will provide. I am so excited for this new year and what the baking club has to offer to eager learners.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My closest friends know that I rely on Jesus Christ for my source of joy and happiness. Life will always have its valleys and I have experienced those. I was never alone in those days though, as I had Christ to pull me through. Mikayla’s last occurrence with cancer was the hardest of all. Mikayla was tired, Mike and I were tired, and Gracie was tired of fighting something so unfair that seemed to have no end. I often felt as though I couldn’t express how I was feeling, for fear that I would seem weak and complaining. Many people naively thought that once treatment wrapped up, Mikayla was good to go. The physical, vision, and occupational therapies along with port flushes and quarterly scans lined the calendar for an entire year. We just wanted to move on.
I am thankful for close friends who allowed me to be vulnerable and to let it all out when I needed to most. These friends encouraged us to keep fighting even when it felt as though what Mikayla was going through was all in vain. I realize now though that God was using all of that to strengthen and comfort others going through hardships, then and now.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days.
I am certainly entering the days with happy feet. I am taking on the days with an attitude of gratitude, knowing that I am beyond blessed to have everything that I have. I love that I can stay at home with my children and be instrumental in their learning and development, while also pursuing my goals on the side with KayCie Cakes. The days are not always glamorous and are often filled to the brim with “interruptions”. My outlook has changed though. I have chosen my hard, and I have learned to embrace it with gratitude in my heart.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kayciecakes.com
- Instagram: kaycie.cakes
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