Meet Andrea Boudewijn

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Boudewijn.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I believe every person was put on this earth to do as much as possible with their lives. Help other people, take your gifts as far as they can go, and don’t shy away from opportunities that seem intimidating at first. Following those principles, I earned a writing degree in English and became a professional technical writer while I lived in my hometown of San Francisco.

I moved to L.A. in ’94 (the year the Web became the public playground we now know), and alongside my writing work for studios in the area, I began coding web sites. I soon picked up more work coding and site managing than writing and eventually built that into a career working for most all the studios around LA as a Web Site Producer. It was lucrative but can be soul-sucking, so I would bake at night to relieve stress. I would take the baked goods into work the next day, and in response, I kept hearing versions of the same comment over and over: “You missed your calling.” So after a few months of this repeated mantra, I listened. I walked away from 12 years as a Producer and began cooking school in the pastry division. I graduated less than a year later, and opened Superfine, then never looked back.

Please tell us about your art.
I make what some might call “high-end” wedding cakes. I describe my style as Martha-Meets-MOCA (the Museum of Contemporary Art). So while I like visual balance and rhythm in design, I also love colorful energy and the kind of ordered chaos you see in some paintings and pieces in modern settings. I love food too, so I try to create interesting flavor combinations while keeping them accessible to an American/European palate. I believe creative people need many outlets. Baking and design of wedding cakes allowed me to marry (ahem) sculpture, architecture, painting, collage, and flavor development into my work. Hopefully, in my designs I broadcast the traits that make love, commitment, and marriage worthwhile: Being bold, true, delicious (!), bright, brave, fearless, calm, steady, and energizing. When I think about what I want people to take away from my work, I hope their minds are opened to new traditions and styles, color palettes, and modern flavors. The days of old-skool flavorless, stiff cakes are over!

Do you have any advice for other artists? Any lessons you wished you learned earlier?
Give yourself time to develop a unique style, and don’t beat yourself up if it doesn’t happen within the first two months. It took me a few years to find my space, and I still love to explore new styles from other amazing artists such as Jasmine Rae (Jasmine Rae Cakes, SF), Maggie Austin (Maggie Austin Cakes, VA), Stevi Auble (Hey There Cupcake), Kate Sullivan (Cake Power, NYC). Also, look outside your discipline for inspo. I follow woodworkers, architects, fashion designers, graffiti artists, jewelry makers, stationers, calligraphers, and more on Instagram. They can help spark an original idea that makes you a thought-leader in your field.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
The best place to see my current work is on Instagram at @superfinebakery. If you’d like to learn how to do some of the most popular techniques for cakes, we have a YouTube Channel called Superfine Bakery as well. Our site, superfinebakery.com is also great for info. Our Pinterest page includes inspiration boards for all kinds of styles: Art Nouveau, champagne-and-black, Woodland, Audubon drawings, watercolor, and more. Enjoy!

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.superfinebakery.com
• Phone: 8184166182
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/superfinebakery/
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgSF0I_2OO-sDVV_kZ3_ktg

Image Credit:
One-LovePhoto.com, Brian Leahy Photography, Picotte Photography, Hazelnut Photo, @janicza, Krista Mason Photography, Erin Feinblatt/Brooks Institute

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