Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Vazquez.
Hi Ashley, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I guess I started when I was a kid. I grew up baking with my Nanny. I loved reading all of her old recipe cards. My grandpa would always tell me when I got older I was going to be a “cake maker”, so now this feels almost like my destiny.
When I first started I was 21, just had a kid, and I was looking for a job after returning to work finally. My aunt was hiring people at her local Kroger, and she interviewed me and told me I was going to be the cake decorator there. I had zero experience and basically got a weeks worth of “training”. I started taking orders as soon as the store opened, and thankfully, I had the coolest bakery manager (s/o Jacob <3), who taught me a lot and helped when I had no clue what I was doing. After working there for a few months I decided I actually really enjoyed it. I grew up loving art. I was always drawing or painting growing up. I took AP art in high school and had plans to become some sort of artist when I got older. Never did I think that this is where I’d end up.
I eventually left Kroger and started another job and started up my cake business from home. Those first few months were filled with a ton of trail and error and tears. I did this for about a year, taking a few orders here and there. Not ever really challenging myself. I eventually went back to a grocery store bakery and got a little better. This cycle happened a lot, and my business came and went when I decided it was too much.
Fast forward to 2021. I accepted a job at a bakery in Nashville. I did custom cakes full time, sometimes working over 40 hours a week when it got super busy. At first really enjoyed it, I learned SO much. From fondant, to different piping skills, tips and tricks to make things easier for myself, and how to work fast and efficiently. After a few years my creativity was dwindling due to repeat orders and overworking myself for not enough compensation. My work had improved 1000%, but I felt stuck and unappreciated. So in April of 2025, I decided to take on orders from home again. Quez Cakes was officially open, and I started getting pretty busy pretty quickly. I had already had people asking me for custom cakes while I was working my other job, but I’d deny because it felt too heavy. It felt like too much. But once I started again, I couldn’t stop. And thankfully I had a ton of support behind me. Even people who had gotten cakes from me back in 2016 were ordering from me again. It was insane.
So I quit my job at the bakery in Nashville in August of 2025. At that point my home bakery success was doing well and I could no longer stomach working somewhere that didn’t align with my values. So I took the leap.
I am now fully working from home. I spend more time doing things that I love and then getting to do a job that I love without any restrictions. It has been such a huge blessing in my life and it’s a testament to myself to never give up.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Absolutely not. Doubt, regret. The start up costs. Not everyone has a ton of cake pans and food coloring and cake tools on hand. 😅 Also, learning when to say no to someone has been hard. Setting boundaries and knowing that the customer is NOT always right.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Quez cakes is my only job at the moment. Along with cakes, cookies, and pies, I also make lighter cases, clay art, paintings, and I sell plant propagations.
I’m most proud of a few cakes I got to make for some of my favorite artists. I just recently made a cake for Kacey Musgraves and her album signing at Grimey’s! I also made cakes for My Morning Jacket, Broncho, Mannequin Pussy, Adam Ray, Kam Patterson, and a few others!
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Keep going. Don’t give up. Even when it doesn’t feel worth it, it is. Don’t let other people influence your decisions. Trust your gut.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://quezcakes.my.canva.site/quez-cakes
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quezcakes
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557600586845
