Conversations with Audrey D’Amore

Today we’d like to introduce you to Audrey D’Amore.

Audrey, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I got involved in the baking industry when I was 19 or so. It was then that I realized I could make a career out of it. At the time I was working in a coffee shop as a barista and our baker had quit so I stepped in. This sparked my interest in culinary school and I signed up for a program at a local community college. I ended up working in coffee shops/restaurants in Phoenix and briefly in Portland for a few years. I overall worked in the industry for about 6-7 years give or take. I got super burnt out due to the rough early morning hours. I went back to school for Health Science, completed the program, and started working for a startup company, but then Covid hit. I worked from home for about a year, and then a good friend of mine (shoutout to Brendan McCaskey) asked if I wanted to assist him with a cookbook that he was food styling. This opened my eyes to a niche of the food scene that I didn’t realize was even in Phoenix. I met the best photographer (Joanie Simon) and realized that.

I wanted to somehow build a career in this niche. I ended up quitting my job with the start-up and began recipe development for a blogger who also worked with Joanie and Brendan. I loved the work I was doing, but I was let go about 7 months into working with the blogger. This forced me to make a choice, which I had been putting off making for so long, to work for myself. I can now say that I’m running a very small pastry business, consisting mostly of special order cakes, donuts, and other pastries. I have also continued recipe development for a friend of mine who opened a restaurant and I create my own content for IG as well.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road, but it has been interesting! I realize now that every path I took led me to this moment, but however many years ago when I got out of the culinary industry I was struggling with whether I wanted to give up the culinary world altogether, and I did for some time. I never expected to enter the culinary world again, because I didn’t see that there was an option to be in the market that I’m in now. I thought food styling/content creation was only a thing if you lived in NYC or LA. Covid changed that. I mean the industry was here in Phoenix before Covid and I just wasn’t aware of it, but it definitely expanded with Covid. With so many people relocating to work remotely, the food photography/blogging/food styling community definitely grew in AZ.

The thing I’ve struggled with most is getting in. my own way. If I could I would have embraced my talents earlier on, but then again everything happens the way it’s supposed to and every experience negative or positive has led me up to this moment (as cheesy as that sounds).

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I specialize in cute, colorful, over-the-top, great-tasting cakes. It’s a mix between bright colors, and vintage style, but also modern. I really love the shag style of cakes that are popping off right now too. As much as I love making cute cakes, they have to taste good. My worst nightmare as a baker is someone telling me their cake was dry. I literally have nightmares about it. I’m known for incorporating secret ingredients. I’m always looking to expand my craft and I try to make flavor combinations as interesting as possible.

My greatest accomplishment as of now was working on BakerbyNature’s cookbook (Home for the Holidays,) A cake that I decorated and styled is on the cover of her book.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love Phoenix. It has really grown so much in the past 10 years, it’s insane. I remember being a kid and going downtown and there was absolutely nothing. Now it has so much character. There are so many restaurants and cute shops, there’s definitely a community and a culture about central Phoenix that didn’t exist when I was younger.

What I love most about the city is the sense of community, especially within the culinary world. Everyone knows everyone, and everyone supports one another in new and old ventures. There’s always an event, a pop-up, or a new menu release. Something’s always going on within the community.

The thing I like least about the city also relates back to the culinary community. I hate to say it, but the “aesthetic restaurant” craze really bothers me. I feel like so many restaurants are popping up that are GORGEOUS, but there’s no soul or love in the food. It results in a very Instagrammable atmosphere, but you go once and never have to go again because there wasn’t anything memorable about the food. I’ll always support a small/family-owned restaurant over going to a huge, gaudy restaurant with not-so-great food.

Pricing:

• Cakes vary depending on size, and all info is located on my IG (@evolof)
• Prices start at $55 for a 6″ 2-layer cake with a minimal design

Contact Info:

• Website: https://audreyldamore.myportfolio.com/
• Instagram: @evolof

Image Credits
Joanie Simon (@thebiteshot)