Katie Genthner learned to bake from her babysitter on the afternoons when her father was clamming. They started with no-bake cookies and then moved on to peanut butter and chocolate chip. She continued making cookies with her grandmother Patty Genthner, but after watching the TV show “Cake Boss,” cakes were it for Katie and she hasn’t looked back. Katie started baking cakes for the special occasions of family and friends and posted her creations on Facebook. In time, people from all over began ordering her cakes and cupcakes, for birthdays, graduation, promotions, or holidays. By her senior year at Medomak Valley, she was baking full-time each weekend to keep up with the orders. After graduating, she worked at nearby bakeries to learn more. Two years later, she gave birth to her son Wilder, now 2 and living up to his name, and her 9-month old daughter Winsley. And all the while, she was baking at home to meet the demand. It was clear she needed her own space. This past April she reached out to Jeff Hurd to see what he had available. He didn’t, but he gave her the contact of the new owner of the building on the corner who he thought might have something. Katie texted the man. He offered to show it to her a week later. He could tell she liked it, and asked when she wanted to start her lease. Katie said yes on the spot and signed the lease later that week. It was Katie’s dream: to bake, have a business in Waldoboro and be by the river where she’d fished and lobstered with her father and grandfather. Katie makes everything from scratch which can be more expensive and also takes more time. She decorates her cakes with buttercream flowers, characters and outdoor scenes. Lately she is starting to make sculpted cakes. Although her signature cake is honey-whiskey, she’s not above a witty riff of a cupcake masquerading as a hamburger.
What gives me hope is my community. It’s all the people in Waldoboro who support my business and who love my cakes. They are the ones who give me the confidence that I’m not wasting all my money and time at a moment when prices of everything are just skyrocketing.
I’m in this space because of Jeff Hurd. I got a head start because the new owner let me come in and work on it before my lease actually started.
My dad is a partner with me. I love that that because he always wanted to open a business in Waldoboro. But he figured it wouldn’t be possible because when he was young he’d gotten into trouble, and a lot of people had written him off. Now he’s like, “See? Just because I was a bad kid, doesn’t mean I turned out bad. I have really good kids.” He was the one who cleaned off all the layers of grease, and believe me, it was everywhere. He built this counter. He painted the walls in these happy, cake-y colors. He gave me my grandmother’s antique jewelry display case for showing cakes. And he helps pay the bills.
My mom is there helping me with the financials because I didn’t really think it through when I threw myself into this. Being only 22, having two kids and only graduated from high school, the financial thing was something I didn’t really know about.
My sister Lexi is my biggest critic. She tells me exactly what she likes and what she doesn’t. She hates buttercream. “It tastes of butter,” she says. “But it’s buttercream, Lexi,” I say. She’s one of my biggest supporters. She always tells everyone about my cakes and my business. And that her little sister is amazing.
I like to think my grandmother would have been proud of me, been proud of all of us. Before she died, she used to go all out on all the holidays. It takes extra work, but I always carry on her tradition because it reminds me of her. I imagine her up there and watching me grow. Maybe all this luck is coming because she’s sending it down to me.
But it’s not just my family who have been there for me. The ladies at Ginger Mousse gave me cake boxes and cake rounds. What’s more, they’ve referred me to many people. I’ve had maybe 40 orders plus within the last month from them. They’ve also been there for me when I couldn’t figure out something like how to get my license. They told me where I needed to go and what I needed to do. It’s the small acts of kindness that have really made a difference for me in starting my business. It fills me with hope that there still are people in this world who will do good things and not just look at me as competition because yes, they do cakes and cupcakes, too.
And there’s Shawn Elliott of McGreevy’s (CK). He gave me one of my mixers. And he’s had good advice, like where he got his fire extinguisher system. He said to use his name and when I called, they came right away.
Having two kids and starting a business is not easy. I never thought I would ever actually get a cake shop even though I really wanted that. I’m just so thankful for all the people who helped me to do it, and especially my dad who’s been a humongous supporter in it.
I would tell the younger me, “Go you. You did it! You are making your dreams come true.” It doesn’t mean it won’t spark out eventually, but I don’t think so. I think I’ll be doing this for the rest of my life. Because this is my happy spot.
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