Finding Balance
It’s hard for any high school student to balance school with life. Add in owning a baking business and it’s even tougher. But Liberty Faith Justice, the owner of A Dash Of Faith Cakes makes it work. “I have to watch my schedule and see what days work best for me. Instead of going out on weekends, I stay in and bake,” says Liberty.
Liberty is a 15 year old honors and AP student at Mingo Central High School who loves all things creative. About four years ago she started watching cake-baking videos on YouTube, and she instantly wanted to try out the recipes and styles that she saw in the videos. “There was trial and error,” She says. “But the more I tried, the better it got...I gave myself harder challenges with each cake I did, and here I am now!”
Limitless Creativity
When she was starting out, it was all about experimenting. Her grandfather once worked at a bakery, and taught her plenty of tips and tricks as a kid that came in handy as she continued experimenting. After mastering the basics, she started working with fondant and sculpting on her cakes, which she says came naturally to her. “I love anything that allows me to bring out artistic values and that worked big for me.”
For her, the best part about owning A Dash of Faith Cakes is the limitless creativity. “There’s no limits in what I can do with creativity. Whether it’s different flavors, techniques, decoration, there is nothing you can’t do. I get a chance to try new things, and I enjoy every minute of it.” She also loves the challenge. “When someone orders a cake that just looks impossible, I love it, I get to experiment and see what I can do to the best of my ability.”
She also loves the chance to take part in special events in people’s lives. “I love the fact of making cakes for special events. The joy on people’s faces at seeing their wedding cake, birthday cake, or anything special makes what I do worth every second.” Liberty typically does more birthdays than anything else, but her wedding cakes are also popular. She has also added cupcakes, cake pops, cookies, and other sweets as time has passed.
Liberty hopes to expand her business in the future. “My dream is to further extend my business by going to culinary school and get first-hand experience with pastry chefs. I love what I do, and I wouldn’t change it for the world...I want ‘A Dash of Faith Cakes’ to grow more every year.”