Melie Ferrier, 18 has just released her first cookbook after gaining a following on Instagram for her creative baking. Photo/supplied
Melie Ferrier, 18 has just released her first cookbook after gaining a following on Instagram for her creative baking. Photo/supplied
On her eighth birthday, Melie Ferrier was given a cookbook by her mum. Ten years later she is an accomplished businesswoman selling stunningly decorated cakes through her blog. She has 10,000 followers on Instagram and has just released her first cookbook.
I asked her a few questions:
Who or whatinspired you to bake? I have always enjoyed crafting things and being hands on, so my passion for baking came through as another way to make or create something when I was younger. My grandmother and mother often did baking with me from a young age, which also inspired me to bake and continue on the hobby.
Do you enjoy cooking as much as you do baking? I enjoy making fresh foods that are somewhat quick and simple to whip up (for example, salads and south-east Asian-type foods), however I don't have nearly as much knowledge with cooking as I do with baking. I enjoy baking over cooking as it has a more decorative aspect to it.
How did Melie's Kitchen come about? It all started from my Instagram account. When my account was mainly close friends and mutual friends, I would often post pictures of the baked goods I had created. As more and more people started to follow, I realised I could make it more of a public account so decided to create a blog to post more photos and recipes. People then started requesting cake orders and soon I was running the food Instagram account, my blog and a cake ordering business which all sort of combined to form 'Melie's Kitchen'.
What is your favourite gadget? Probably my favourite and most useful gadget is my cake leveller, which levels the tops of my cakes and slices them in half into two perfect layers (second to that would be my blowtorch and my kitchen aid stand mixer).
What are five ingredients you can't live without? Butter, almond flour, freeze-dried fruits and fruit powders, chocolate, and cream cheese.
What's the secret to dynamic cake decorating? Probably patience - making sure that all the layers are even and giving the cake time to set is often key. I also think you have to be in the mood to bake (unless you are me, who wants to bake 24/7) and be in a tidy kitchen. If you start baking on a bad note when you can't really be bothered, the result is usually never as good.
Banoffee cake with hazelnuts and crumbles pie crust. Photo/supplied
What's your go-to meal when it's a cosy night in? I love Vietnamese and Thai takeaways.
Or me and my friends make the best homemade bento bowls from scratch. When did you start putting this book together? I started collecting ideas around the end of 2014, however I didn't get fully stuck into it until the beginning of 2015 (when I was Year 12).
What are you most proud of? Probably all that I have achieved with my love of baking, especially being able to publish a cookbook when I am still basically a teenager!
Where do you want to be in 10 years' time? Hopefully doing something in the food industry! I would like to start up my own range of food products to be sold in specialty food stores and supermarkets. I have also always had a dream to open my own cake store/bakery, and would also love to write a second cookbook.
Tell us three things about yourself that would surprise 1. I am obsessed with animals. 2. I was a passionate sewer before I started baking. 3. Despite being good at baking and making things with detail, I'm actually really unco-ordinated and oblivious - constantly hitting things off tables by accident and bumping into things.
