I didn’t intend to get into the business of wedding cakes, exactly. I wasn't particularly averse to it - it’s just that when you’re busy with the daily routine of bread and pastries, throwing a wedding cake into the mix sounds complicated. And wedding cakes can be pretty show-offy, lots of frills and sugar flowers, with a greater focus on glamour than taste, and as subject to the vagaries of fashion as bride’s dresses are. I worried it was too far from my focus to keep up. But when my sister Allison and brother-in-law Marty asked me to do their wedding cake, I jumped on the opportunity.Their wedding was January 22, 1994, just six months after I’d opened Macrina. They needed a cake to serve to 250 guests. Amidst the chaos of running a new bakery, I set to work making a large cake with four tiers. The bottom cake was 16” in diameter. I vaguely remember each layer being a different type of cake. The wedding was in Portland. I loaded the layers flat into the back of our delivery van. Fortunately, the weather was winter cold. Heat is not good for the cakes and the icing. I worried that the cakes would get damaged, but everything survived the journey. I assembled the cake there, decorating it with a white-chocolate, cream-cheese buttercream, edible gold flakes, and fresh flowers. I was so proud of the way it turned out.Since then Macrina has done hundreds of wedding cakes. The style is much the same as the one I did for my sister—simple, fresh and elegant. Once I’d done a few, word of mouth brought in newly engaged couples. For years, I coordinated and delivered the wedding cakes. I made many a cake delivery with my daughter Olivia. Her baby backpack had a frame that allowed it to stand and she would sit patiently while I stacked, finished, and decorated the cakes. In 2002, our pastry department took over the wedding cakes. Significant improvements were made to the wedding cake department. Our decorating got more creative while remaining simple, fresh and elegant.  About ten years ago we added wedding cakes to our website. This has been a great discussion opener for interested couples.Today, Anna Moomaw-Parks is our wedding cake coordinator. She gathers details, manages the schedule and delivery and is the point of contact for couples and wedding planners, all to make sure our customers get the best possible service. Anna says, “Wedding cakes aren’t the primary focus of Macrina. They are a special thing we do, and we work hard to make them special. We don’t have a team of people producing them. One of our pastry chefs, Mariah Eubanks, makes and decorates the cakes. We’re careful not to take more orders than we can handle. It is an important day for the customers. We want to be sure we do all we can to make it wonderful."  About a year ago we had the pleasure of making a cake for Anna’s wedding.I love the way our tradition has evolved while holding to its roots. Mi Kim, our head pastry chef, baked and decorated all the wedding cakes for several years. A couple of years ago she trained Mariah, seamlessly passing the tradition to another talented pastry chef. Now Mariah is designing a Macrina wedding cake for her own nuptials this coming October. She's leaning towards the almond torta cake with the same white chocolate cream cheese buttercream I made for my sister’s cake.  Of course, she won’t be making her cake. Superstition says the bride who bakes her own cake is asking for trouble.We are currently in the midst of wedding planning season. Quite a few engagements happen over the holidays, with weddings planned for the summer. Mariah has been busy meeting with couples to design their cakes.Looking through pictures of the cakes we’ve done over the last 20 plus years makes me so proud of our tradition of fresh baked, delicious and beautifully decorated wedding cakes. And I am very pleased that and so many couples wanted to include us in their special day.LeslieFor more information on our wedding cakes please visit our website.

Mi Kim found her path early on. Growing up baking treats for her friends and helping out in her parents' restaurant, Mi has always felt most comfortable in the kitchen. Now she helps manage ours as head pastry chef. Today Mi gives us a glimpse into her journey over the last five years and shares her best advice for aspiring pastry chefs.When did you know you wanted to work with pastry?In school my best friend and I used to always bake, and my parents owned a restaurant, so I was always in the kitchen. Junior year of high school, I realized that I couldn't sit in a classroom and I loved food, so I figured why not try baking. So, I went to school at Western Culinary Institute [now Le Cordon Bleu School for Culinary Arts]. My mentor met Leslie [Mackie] and she told her about me and I got hired on as an intern.How did you work your way up to head pastry chef?I was the [pastry] lead at McGraw for a while and then [Production Manager] Jane [Cho] started doing wedding cakes at SODO. Jane was working constantly, like 16-hour days, so when I’d have time at McGraw I would call her to see if she needed help. At first, I helped her out with sheet cakes and then started taking on more and more until we decided it was time for me to take over. It was a good way to learn, because it wasn’t overwhelming and I got to build my skills slowly.I like learning and getting to a certain point where I’m comfortable and then taking it on on my own. That’s something that keeps me going. Getting into the pastry chef position and taking on wedding cakes full on were big accomplishments for me.What do you love most about being a pastry chef?I’ve always really enjoyed making specialty cakes, more so even than wedding cakes. Say someone comes in with a picture or an idea of something I’ve never done before, I love jumping in and seeing how it turns out. I just love that creative aspect.I still love making croissant dough and doing the turns by hand. I like the feel of the dough and the smell of yeast. I really like brioche products too. Forming the Ham & Cheese Brioche is still so satisfying.What’s your favorite thing to eat at Macrina?I love upside down cakes for their sugary, caramelized flavor. I really like the Morning Glory Muffin, because it has the [turbinado sugar] on top. It’s so good. The Rick’s [Chocolate Apricot Espresso] Cookie is one of my favorites. I’d never thought of putting apricots in things, but it’s so good.What advice would you give to an aspiring pastry chef?Flexibility is something I hold highly in people. It branches into so many things. I think to be successful you need flexibility to handle certain situations. Problem-solving skills and good attitudes are also things I look for when I’m hiring people. Having schooling is one thing, but if you have that drive and attitude and you don’t have schooling, I almost value that more. We’re so big on morale here and everyone having a great attitude and wanting to be here. That’s what leads to success. You have to love something in order to get good at it, no matter where you start.