Fun

Passions: Kate Peterson

Published

14 years ago

February 6, 2010

INSTORE Staff Instore March 2010 Issue

Life outside the store

Passions: Kate Peterson

Performance Concepts

Kate Peterson

I was never much of a baker until the time came to plan my older son Kevin’s first birthday party. That’s when I decided I would make his cake myself, and in the process, I discovered a whole new “avenue of madness,” as my kids call it. The boys are now 20 and 15, and with all those birthdays in between — as well as other special occasions and cakes for other relatives and friends — I’m guessing I’ve made well over 100 theme cakes since that first, weak rendition of Big Bird. Some of my favorites have been re-creations of the opening scene from The Lion King, the Rugrats’ playground, a Precious Moments doll (for my mom’s 60th) and a massive stack of holiday presents for an after-school party. Each cake can take from four to 14 hours to make, and most often, the only place I can find that kind of time is overnight. Fortunately, I don’t need much sleep!

Passions: Kate Peterson

The whole process — coming up with an idea, figuring out how to construct it, making it especially tasty and not quitting till it meets my standard for perfection — is not that different to a typical workday for me. Seeing the immediate, tangible result, however, is actually a form of therapy. It is an outlet for my creativity that keeps me laser-focused on one project and that produces (almost) instant gratification.

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This story is from the February 2010 edition of INSTORE

Wilkerson Testimonials

Wilkerson: “They Feel Like Family”

Newton’s Jewelers in Fort Smith, Ark., was a true institution. But after being at the helm for most of his life, owner (and descendent of the original founder) Kelly Newton decided it was time to retire. He chose Wilkerson to handle the sale. “I’ve known the owners of Wilkerson for a long, long time. I felt at home with them,” he says. The final retirement sale was just a “blast” and the Wilkerson sales team made it so very simple and straightforward, says Newton. Would he recommend Wilkerson to others? Absolutely. “They’ve done incredible work,” says Newton. “They feel like family.”