We have recently had the pleasure of stumbling upon the most amazing cake vendor EVER! Bleeding Heart Bakery is based in Chicago and is owned and operated by Michelle & Vinny Garcia. They specialize in local, sustainable punk-rock pastry. With their combined talents, these two make the most delectable and beautiful cakes we have ever seen! They even make VEGAN cakes! Check out this interview we had with them, and if you are in Chicago, be sure to stop in and eat some yummy goodness. If you aren’t in Chicago, then the pictures themselves are delicious, and should hold you over until you are. YUM!
What’s the story behind the name?
It is VERY cliche, but I thought of the name in dream! I was going to business school and was writing my thesis which was for a community based organic bakery…named Bleeding Heart! The name seemed to work!
Where did your interest in cake making begin?
I was honestly always more interested in pastry itself, until I moved to Amsterdam.I had been invited by the Dutch Patisserie Team. I took a job as a cake decorator there and I seem to have been woken up. I was aloud to be very avante garde, which really helped me love the job!
Is there any common style to most of the cakes you have done?
I personally prefer buttercream and interesting structures with simple and elegant design that is still thought provoking or even having a bit of gore. I love the use of non traditional items like an anatomical heart to speak about love and something very off the wall like the use of hand made paperflowers. I adore Mexican art and religious imagery done in a tattoo style especially with gold and silver guilding.
Where do you look for inspiration when you are about to start something
new?
I am inspired by everything from architecture to clothing, but mostly by grafitti and street art, which I find absolutely beautiful.
What is the most unusual request you have ever gotten?
We were asked to make a pot cake which I said no to, but we were also asked to make a very beautiful cake to bleed when cut open. I was previously asked this and had declined, but I took on the challenge and it worked really great!
What’s your favorite cake?
My favorite cake is one that was on the cover of Chicago Social Magazine. It was the first cake I made which really played with structure and was made from 6 long skinny rectangle cakes, on a wooden boards and placed precariously on top of eachother.
What are the most requested flavors?
Chocolate peanut butter is by far the most popular.
When did you start making allergy free cakes?
We started making vegan cakes right away, then came gluten free about two years later. We started offeing the peanut free option about a year ago and started baking with alternative sugars at the same time.
Do you donate a portion of cake sales to charities? (Or rather, what charities do you donate to?)
We have cupcakes for charities, one charity gets chosen a month. We choose charities based on location (must be local) and how they fit into the bakeries mission. Music and tattoo oriented one such as Sacred Transformations or Girls Rock Chicago and perfect examples.
How do we place an order?
Give us a call at 773-327-6934 or email info@thebleedingheartbakery.com and request a tasting. They are $25 which comes off the final cost of your cake if you order from us!
Interview by: Nancy Couture