I was just wondering how everyone got started in the cake decorating business/hobby. What type of training have you had? Self taught, culinary school, wilton classes etc. I myself took my first class at Michaels in Nov. I have been doing kids b-day cakes for my family and friends for years though. I plan to take all the wilton courses and develop more skills. We will see where it goes from there.

I took the three courses from Wilton @ Michaels and have had a three day flower course from Nicholas Lodge and a flower course from Glenda Glavez. I now have my own licensed bake shop that I have open part time.

I've taken all 3 wilton classes and can't wait for the Gum Paste & Fondant class in Feb. 07. I have enjoyed the classes, teacher, & students...I've been baking just cakes and other desserts. But I must say it's been decorating cakes.

I have taken all the 3 Wilton classes in the past year and would LOVE to take more! I have always loved to bake, that is how I decided to take some classes, that and my Aunt was an awesome cake decorater, she made my wedding cake. She still is awesome, she just does not have time for it anymore. Since I only plan on being a SAHM for about another 5 years, I would love to take all the courses I can now, how do you find out about them?

I was trained in Wilton six years ago then I trained with my cake teacher privately for more skills I wanted to learn that were outside of the three Wilton classes. I still take an occasional class and I'm fond of videos -- Scott Clark Woolley, Nick Lodge and others have some great videos out in gumpaste and fondant. Not to mention I have 1001 cake books, each with that much more to learn...

I started cake decorating last April - took all 3 Wilton courses. Great starting place.
I feel like I've learned so much from this site as far as techniques, supplies, equipment, etc. that I didn't hear about in the classes. I bought several cake decorating books also that give ideas and inspirations.
The hardest part is getting "the word" out that I am available to make cakes for people other than friends and family. In Alabama, you can't have a home-based business or advertise.
Good luck with your ventures and it is a very rewarding hobby

Michael's is offering a new course in feb. Fondant and gum paste. They have the exclusive for it for a few months before others can teach it.

I have only been decorating cakes seriously for about 5 months and am entirely self taught. I have the Wilton books and look on the website and of course CC. No other experience except that of being an elementary art teacher for nearly 27 years.

I went to culinary school did not finish my night classes and the pastry class were all of two. I took one but we did primarily bread and never touched on cakes. I have never taken a cake course in the seven years but will maybe take some sugar classes this year!

I attend the culinary school of Cake Central about 10 hours a day

I went to college for fine arts. Then in May of 2005 I started the Wilton Classes and have been decorating ever since. I'm excited because I'm taking a week long fondant and wedding cake class at the end of January. And I'm anxious to take more classes and I think I'm going to look into the videos like bobwonderbuns suggested!

I have taken all 3 Wilton classes at Michaels, then I have taken several classes at a local cake shop Cake Carousel - Intermediate decorating, Whimisical Cakes, Figure Piping, Hands on Cookie, Smooth a cake and plan on taking more this year. I love taking the classes and learning new things.

All 3 Wilton Couses, 3 classes with Scott Clark Woolley, a class with Collette Peters and Toba Garrett. I reference all the great designs in cake central as well as about 50 cake books in my library.

One thing I have noticed though, no matter how much training in a class or video or a book or a private lesson that I've had, if I don't practice those techniques and really make them my own, I lose them. One will only get out of this what they put into it.

I have taken all three Wilton courses and will take the Gum Paste & Fondant class in a couple of months.

I've been baking since I was born, so that's the easy part for me.

But, I've NEVER had ANY training at all on decorating. I just don't have any time. I would LOVE to take all 3 Wilton courses and the new one on gumpaste, but I really don't have the time.

Maybe someday.

I'm with Derby - been baking since I was tall enough, but no classes. Gramma said the first thing she taught me was to crumb coat LOL. My skills are VERY rusty, tho, so I need to practice more. Rightnow I am focusing on techniques learned here.

I took all 3 Wilton classes, will take gum paste and took two classes at the local community college. My instructor there was great had been doing cakes for 27+ years and made it look so easy. Very helpful and offered me a job at his catering company but I was in the Navy and had a baby so no time for that.

no wilton classes for me!! i am self taught......plus ive learned a lot of my skills by other fellow decoraters, and learning on my own. i started at local bakery in my home town as a sales clerk and worked my way up to decorater. 14 years since my first rose that got me that job as decorater.
and that day someone called in sick and i insisted they let me try!!! it worked!!!

I started as many people have, with wanting to do my childrens birthday cakes in 1959. There were no Wilton classes offered at that time unless you went to Chicago, I found a basic beginners course at my local recreation center and signed up. I also subscribed to Mail Box News, the only publication available at that time, and you have to remember there were no cake decorating wedding cake magazines in those years and worst of all, no computers. So you didn't have the wonderful resources of a place like Cake Central, you were pretty much on your own. Through Mail Box News I discovered there was the Gates School of cake decorating in Long Beach California where Edith Gates taught classes in the Lambeth Method. By that time (1964) we had formed a cake decorating club in our area called the Decorettes. I made a deal with 6 of the members, if they would contribute the class fee for me, I would take the class and then teach them what I had learned. The 5 day class at that time cost $200.00, a tremendous amount of money for a SAHM of 4. When I was at the class I called home to rave to my mother and husband about these amazing mixers they had there called KitchenAid. As a surprise, when I got home there was one waiting for me from my precious mother.

That was the beginning of a serious interest in learning for me. I didn't get to take another class until 1972, at that time I took a figure piping class from John McNamara who was the head decorator at Humphrey's Bakery at the Farmers Market in Southern California, a class in Australian method locally with Barbara Boeving, a 5 day class in British cake design from Evelyn Wallace of England who was visiting in our area. Then again the same year a 5 day class in Mexican cake design from Senora Marithe de Alvarado. Fast forward to 1996, a 1 day chocolate class with Jacque Torres in San Francisco, another chocolate class with Alice Medrich (author of the book Cocolat) in Berkeley. In 2000 I took a 5 day pulled and blown sugar class from Ewald Notter in Gaithersburg, Maryland. In 2001 exotic gumpaste orchids with Nicholas Lodge in Norcross, Georgia. My one desire would have been to attend the San Francisco Culinary Academy or the Culinary Institute Of America in Napa, but by now I feel I am getting too old and besides I couldn't possibly afford the tuition. I will still take any class that comes around that I could afford to attend. Today I teach gumpaste flowers to small classes in my home. I still do birthday cakes for the children, but today it is Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren. The majority of cakes that I make are donated to friends and my local LGBT Community Center, but I also have regular loyal customers who order for special occasions and I do maybe 3 wedding cakes a year, just enough to keep me busy and off the streets.

I never, ever, want to stop learning. Having bought a computer in the year 2000 I suddenly discovered cake forums, how wonderful is that? Plus all the wonderful books and DVDs that are available today. So, there are always new ideas coming along, and each time I see some new method I jump right into finding out how it is done and trying it for myself. I can't imagine there would be any question I might have on cake decorating that I couldn't find the answer to here. This forum and another one I belong to is filled with talented, sharing and friendly people. And it's a source of enjoyment for me to be able to pass along what I have learned over the past 47 years of decorating. Recently my older sister said something that made tears come to my eyes. She said "Our mother would be so proud of what you have accomplished" and I thought back to that KitchenAid mixer from 1964.

I is only 3½ months since I held my first pack of fondant in my hands along with the first set of cutters. So I am self taught - I have picked up tons of tips and tricks from the internet, but I am so bad at following a tutorial. I learn best by trial and error.
I would love to take a piping course though, that is my weakness.

wow Shirley.. I love reading about how you got started and what you have done...you are just amazing!!!!!!

I started cake decorating this past June with Wilton 1, then 2 and 3. I took the gumpaste course at the same time as course 3. Whilst it was OK, I didn't learn anything like what others are doing with their gumpaste but I am learning now by book and DVD and of course CC..the biggest teacher and greatest resource!! I am challenged and have improved myself by what I see coming from this site and I know it has every bit to do with people who have shared their talents!!!

My biggest desire is to make a fabulous wedding cake for my DS and his lovely fiancee this coming October..it will be my first wedding cake!

Jane

I have taken the wilton courses and a gumpaste flower/ fondant class with Jennifer Dontz.. Oh and of course the ICES little classes and demo's and lots of internet reading.

My grandfather was an apprenticed cake decorator back in the 40's and 50's, been doing in forever. He taught little bits of this and that when I went to visit, and one day I finally told DH that I wanted to try cake decorating.

So for Mother's Day 2006 his got me the beginner's set and went on ebay and got a bunch of pans. I taught myself most of the techniques from the practice boards and various books, then took my first Wilton Class in November. The next class starts in Jan, and will be taking Course 3 and Gumpaste both in Feb.

I started by being proud of my cakes in the pyrex dish, and finally decided I better put my artistic talent to good use.

I taught myself many, many years ago and did cakes for family and friends. About 4 years ago I thought about teaching for Wilton, but to teach for them you have to take their classes. I took the classes backwards (the teacher was okay with that since I already had lots of cake experience. I am in my 5th year of teaching Wilton classes. I also teach private lessons. I enjoy doing it, so needless to say, I don't make much money at it, but I will continue to do it. I love sharing with others.

Shirley, I kept waiting for you to mention Betty Newman May, but you took from Edith Gates.

I didn't have the luck of taking from any of those great teachers except from Betty. I started with the Wiltonclasses, but took Lambeth from Betty Newman May, then many classes from Nick Lodge, Maureen Stevenson, Eleanor Rielander, Colette Peters, Debbie Brown, Geraldine Randlesome,
both Winbecklers, Steve Stellingwerf, Carole Faxon and a bunch of others.

The majority of these classes were from Calif Cake Camp (also called Ca mini classes). So most classes were from 1 to 4 hours long. I also have a lot of books to help remember what I learned in class, but nothing takes the place of having a teacher to ask questions or practicing yourself!