Life is... a piece of cake

Booking an appointment with Martha Muthami a week before Valentine’s Day is a nightmare.

If not taking cake orders on phone, she will be attending to her walk-in customers.

Although trying hard not to eavesdrop on her conversations, you can hear the word “cake” and “colour” after each two sentences. That is her life — cakes, cakes and more cakes.

She grew up seeing her Home Science teacher-cum-mother make tasty confectionaries for ordinary home tea, at a time when wheat products were a luxury in the neighbourhood.

The founder of Larimar Bakers, based at Five Star Shopping complex in South C, Nairobi, has had many aspects of her life touched by cakes.

Today, she prides herself in being one of the sought-after cake-makers for the upper middle class.

More than once, Money magazine has met her at top-notch wedding and corporate events, keeping an eye on the day’s main attraction — the cake. She has several employees, though.

“Orders come early, even several months before the actual event. I discuss with the customer what we need to create and I do it myself,” says Martha.

A look at her past designs makes one develop a sweet tooth. She has designs that depict the big five (wild animals), architectural designs, a furnished living room, engine-controlled machines such as aeroplanes, safari rally cars, trains and ships.

Her birthday cakes designs would interest any child. There are designs on Ben Ten and Mickey Mouse cartoons, bags, shoes and even racing cars.

“Any design should communicate something dear to the target customer,” she says.

Some designs, however, are more expensive — a birthday cake will go for around Sh2,000 per kilo while a wedding cake will cost between Sh40,000 and Sh100,000.

On how much she earns on a good month, she says: “I have given you the rates. I have at least a big wedding cake every week and a corporate one every two weeks. Birthday cakes are a day-to-day job.”

Getting all this expertise wasn’t easy. After college, she was employed at Serena Hotels in 2001 in the banquets and conferences section after what she calls an eye-opening practical attachment at Nyali Beach Hotel in Mombasa.

A year later, she joined the then Jessy School of Cookery in Parklands, and resigned from the job in 2002 to start her own business.

She is happy she has created several full time jobs.

She admired the creativity and due diligence of bakers at the pastry department and informally learnt about designs and colouring.