Cake. It’s a must-have item at any big celebration. Whether it’s a birthday, wedding, or homecoming party, you just gotta have cake. And at Sam’s Club, you can have your cake and eat it too.
In our clubs, the months of April, May and June are known for having some of the highest volume of cake orders—from sheet cakes to cupcakes. You see, these months span Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, PRIDE—and of course, graduation season.
Laura Zahn, from Club 8185 in Eau Claire Wisconsin, decorates a cake in honor of PRIDE month. She is another one of the many talented cake decorators at Sam’s Club.
But we typically only see the final result while we are scarfing down our favorite piece, so we want to give you all a golden ticket to go behind the scenes with our Sam’s Club associates whose artistic skills and attention to detail are currently front and center on many desert tables across the country – our Cake Decorators.
Meet Katie Peterson, Club 8238 in Davenport, Iowa
Katie never thought cake decorating would be something she’d enjoy. But after working as a cashier and later in membership, she wanted a new challenge. Now, she can’t imagine herself doing anything else. "I definitely would stay in this field. I know this is what I was meant to do," Katie said.
Getting to know members at a deeper level makes what Katie does even more rewarding. "When they order a cake, you get to know them," she said. And she feels proud when they come back and know who she is too and ask that she does their cake again.
Katie reflecting on her most memorable cake:
It was a birthday cake for a little girl. She loved Mini Mouse and we used to have a Mini Mouse design…Most memorable just because of how much she loved the cake and I loved making that design. Even four years later, that little girl would come in and still talk about her mini mouse cake.
Katie’s favorite part of her job is seeing the members’ reactions to the cakes. "Especially little kids," she added. "They’re just so excited and they’re just jumping up and down."
Meet Chelsea Johnson, Club 8209 in Fayetteville, Arkansas
Chelsea saw a Cake Decorator position open at her local Sam’s Club after moving to Fayetteville, Arkansas. She applied, worked hard, learned quickly, and later moved up to Team Lead.
"Bakery is a really fun area to work in," Chelsea said. "You never know what you’re going to be doing day to day and you know that at least at some point in the day you’re going to make someone happy. So that’s definitely fulfilling in a job."
Chelsea reflecting on her most memorable cake:
My sister-in-law’s graduation cake…and any order I take where I’m communicating with the members, figuring out what they want. I kind of take pride in every one of those.
Chelsea’s favorite part of what she does is knowing that almost every item they sell is going to make someone happy. "Very rarely is someone sad to get a cake or eat some cookies."
Meet Maria Aguilar, Club 6549 in Pueblo, Colorado
Maria started out as a cashier while cross training at the café. It so happened that the manager at the café was also over the Bakery, which gave Maria the opportunity to help there as well. But Maria didn’t just help, she was curious, she asked a lot of questions, and she wanted to learn and grow as much as she could. She quickly mastered baking techniques while striving for perfection. "I wanted to make sure that I’m a bigger asset to the Bakery if I learned how to help out more."
So, when a Baker position became open at the club, she applied, and the rest is history. Now a Bakery Lead, Maria is passionate about what she does, she loves her bakery, and she’s highly competitive when it comes to competing for the most cake orders. "I got taught by the best and I feel like I can train the same way."
Maria reflecting on her most memorable cake:
We use to do a display in the front of the store when you walked in. I iced and decorated [a Styrofoam cake] and used it as display up in the front. And it was actually the same time where my son was going to be graduating, so I was able to use his photo and his logo.
This multi tiered cake not only gained a lot of attention from members as the came in, but it also had a personal touch. Members wanted the same cake, but they also knew Maria would put just as much care and attention on their cake as she would for her son’s.
Maria’s favorite part of her job is building her team. She noted that she has an amazing team who has been a major contributor to her success and the success of the club’s Bakery.
Meet Misty Spearman, Club 4808 in Springdale, Arkansas
Misty started out as an overnight merchandiser. But overnight was not working for her, so when the Bakery had a full-time opening, she applied. She started out as a Baker and recently transitioned to Cake Decorator. However, during her spare time as a Baker, she would learn about cake decorating and would always step up to the plate when they needed an extra hand. "I liked being able to do both roles," Misty said. "Coming in and baking, and if a decorator doesn’t show up, I liked being able to cover that and be able to help our members and get things out."
Misty reflecting on her most memorable cake:
To me, the special ones are for the members who came in at the last minute in hopes of getting something but thinking they weren’t going to be able to. They’re afraid it was too late and I’m like, ‘Hey we have these options…we can do it for you.’ And just seeing their face that it was still something that they could receive for their loved one. That’s what we’re about. That’s what we’re supposed to be about. Making the members happy and doing what we can to make them happy.
Misty’s favorite part about her job is learning new things and giving it her all. Like many of our associates decorating cakes, she also enjoys the aspect of making members happy.
To all our Sam’s Club associates baking and decorating cakes during this busy time, thank you for helping to make our members happy and representing our clubs in the sweetest way possible. You are making those special moments even sweeter.
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