For Brooke Blubaugh, baking and cake decorating stirred into a passion during middle school. Now, she is the head baker and manager behind Main Street Scoops and Sweets’ pastries and other treats.
Her baking journey started when she took a life skills class at Brighton Academy in Overland Park, where she was taught how to decorate cakes.
“The teacher actually owned her own cake decorating shop, so one class she showed us how to pipe a rosette with buttercream,” Blubaugh said. “That is what got me interested in it for sure.”
It also inspired her to open her own bakery.
“I drew up a logo and everything when I was 13,” she said.
She enrolled in the pastry and baking program at Johnson County Community College, where she learned the technicalities of the culinary arts. Out of everything she learned, pastries were the most complicated to master, Blubaugh said.
Because the program focused on baking rather than decorating, Blubaugh taught herself how to decorate cakes by watching YouTube tutorials. While the program taught her valuable lessons, going to school isn’t necessary to become a decorator, she said.
“Don’t be afraid to fail and keep trying because you will slowly start to see improvement,” Blubaugh said.
Once she graduated, she bought a space in Bonner Springs from a family friend and started Brooke’s Bakery in 2020.
After two years, Blubaugh wanted to change up her business. Her mom decided to open an ice cream shop and thought it would be good to combine the two ideas, Blubaugh said.
Now, customers can find her at Main Street Scoops and Sweets. While it wasn’t always Blubaugh’s plan to work in her parents’ ice cream shop, she is grateful for the opportunity.
“I grew up with the mindset of family business, so it kind of came back together that way and worked out that way,” Blubaugh said.
Eleshea Martin of De Soto is also grateful Blubaugh relocated because she often custom orders cakes for her business, Fresh Feature Photography LLC.
Martin mainly orders smash cakes, which are made for kids to dig into for their first birthdays.
“For me, I need cakes to look professionally made because her business shows off my business,” Martin said. “I know that, without a shadow of a doubt, that if I buy her cakes, it will hold up and it will look professional.”
Ordering from Blubaugh guarantees visually pleasing and good tasting cakes, Martin said.
“Other cakes are good, but Brooke’s cakes are amazing,” Martin said. “She pays attention to detail and is always upfront about the price of things.”
Blubaugh’s passion for cake decorating is apparent to her customers, which is why she enjoys the decorating process more so than baking.
“Some people enjoy putting all the ingredients together and getting a cake at the end, but I enjoy the decorating part and seeing the customer’s face light up when they see the cake that they wanted is right there,” Blubaugh said.
Customers Katie Fisher and Emily Grovenburg went into Main Street Scoops and Sweets for ice cream and left wanting to come back for Blubaugh’s pastries. Fisher is glad Blubaugh posts her creations on her Instagram because she has been “eyeing the bakery items on her social media,” Fisher said.
Since her relocation to Main Street Scoops and Sweets, Blubaugh has noticed how welcoming and excited the community is for her to be a part of it.
While Blubaugh is still building a customer base in Eudora, customers she had in Bonner Springs have also come to support her.
In the future, Blubaugh sees herself taking on more of a mentorship role at Main Street Scoops and Sweets, which would allow her to travel, take baking classes and look into other business ventures.
“I would like to see myself in more of a ‘come in and do some decorating here and there’ position,” Blubaugh said.
Those wanting to try Blubaugh’s treats can find her at Main Street Scoops and Sweets. Blubaugh also takes custom orders through the Main Street Scoops and Sweets website.
Reach reporter Camryn Robbinson with more business news at [email protected].
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