I have always enjoyed baking and decorating cakes as a hobby; and I am completely self-taught. However, my career interests led me into the world of wedding and event planning, which am still actively involved in. I also own and operate Forte Weddings which I started in 2003.

Since cakes were still primarily a hobby, I often entered local cake competitions to practice my skills. For three consecutive years I won awards for wedding cake design, and original, best tasting cake recipes.

After working a few years at a "day job", I still wanted to pursue my higher educational goals, so in 2007 I dropped everything, became a nanny, because I LOVE kids, and went back to school. In 2009, I earned my Master's degree in technical communication from Texas State University. (Basically, I am a trained technology junkie.)


However, I couldn't stay away from the wedding industry completely. As a student, I launched Haute Cakes - Couture Desserts, specializing in custom-designed cakes. Initially, this was a way to help pay for grad school, but it quickly grew into a small business as the orders came in.

Now I operate both businesses and split my time baking cakes, planning events for clients, and working on my web sites. I am also actively involved with the Austin Nanny Network, Nuptial Essentials Association of Wedding Professionals, National Association of Catering Executives, and the Austin Young Chamber of Commerce.