ABOUT THE ROLE
Lavender Bakery & Cafe on Solano Ave is hiring a Cake Decorator for our custom + fondant + fancier cake program. This is the artistic role — you'll bring birthdays, weddings, baby showers, and corporate celebrations to life. Custom design, fondant sculpting, photorealistic prints, multi-tier wedding cakes, themed work. Standard store cakes are a separate role (Bakery & Pastry Chef handles those).
WHAT YOU'LL DO
- Decorate custom cakes — pre-orders for birthdays, weddings, baby showers, anniversaries, corporate events
- Fondant work — sculpting figures, toppers, 3D shapes
- Buttercream artistry — floral piping, palette knife, smooth finishes
- Photorealistic / edible prints — themed and licensed designs
- Multi-tier wedding cakes — construction, doweling, transport prep
- Translate customer briefs (pictures, themes, color palettes) into reality
- Manage your pre-order queue (typically 3-10 cakes/week, more during holiday weeks)
- Coordinate with Bakery & Pastry Chef for cake bases ready at your station
- Photo-document finished cakes for our portfolio + Instagram
WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU (REQUIRED)
- Cake decorating experience required — portfolio required for interview
- Attention to detail
- Creative — can interpret vague customer brief into beautiful execution
- Reliable with deadlines (cakes need to be DONE by pickup day — no excuses)
- Food Handler card on file
- Weekend availability if required
- Available for ALL major holidays (Valentine's, Mother's Day, Christmas — this is when we get most custom cake orders)
- Take vacation in slow season (mid-Jan, mid-summer)
- Recommended commute: within ~20 miles or 35 minutes
STRONG PLUSES
- Wedding cake experience (multi-tier construction, transport)
- Fondant sculpting (figures, toppers, 3D shapes)
- Photorealistic / edible image printing experience
- Pastry program training
- Portfolio with Instagram-worthy work
- Spanish or French language
WHY LAVENDER
Be the cake artist for Berkeley's go-to bakery. Your cakes go viral on the East Bay birthday + wedding circuit. Build your reputation + portfolio with us. Free coffee every 4 hours, 30% off, tips pooling.
PAY: $22-25/hr (experience-based)
SCHEDULE: Part-time (flexible) — heavier hours Friday/Saturday for pre-orders + holiday weeks
REPORTS TO: Solano Head Baker
Lavender Bakery & Cafe · 1820 Solano Ave, Berkeley CA 94707
Full bakery + cafe — daily standard cakes, cupcakes, desserts, custom fondant cakes, specialty coffee. Outdoor seating. Pre-order driven.
BENEFITS for ALL positions:
- Free coffee every 4 hours during shift
- 30% off all store purchases
- Tips pooling (shared across team)
Languages: English required. Spanish or French = plus.