Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Robinette
Hi Amy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
As early as I can remember, I’ve been baking. Since I was a little girl, my Mom-maw would have all three of the grandchildren help out with the cookies, chicken-n-dumplins, green bean snapping, and most importantly, her peach cobbler. The older we got, the more we learned. Then, when I turned 18, she gave me a binder filled with copies of every single one of her recipes! A gift that would shape the rest of my career.
Throughout college I would spend most of my time in the kitchen of my dorm or apartment, versus the library, perfecting tailgating snacks or study session sweets. After graduation, I moved to Charleston, SC to pursue my baking degree. I went to class in the day and worked at night. I soon learned how incredibly talented the chefs in Charleston were. The competition was fierce and I was a bit intimidated. I threw myself into the front of the house world, saving my money just to spend it on as many baking supplies as I could afford. I began watching YouTube and Pinterest “How-to’s” to learn and teach myself new skills in the industry. I was binge watching Food Network to understand flavor profiles and what the famous chefs were doing. Finally, I came to the realization that I will never be Julia Child, and I should stick to what I know and love. Baking for friends and family worked well for me.
For the next few years I hobby baked and learned a lot about who I was as a baker. As my style developed, my binder of recipes also grew.
While working for a local restaurant group, we were encouraged to volunteer for a few hours a month. I began volunteering with an incredible philanthropy, The Green Heart Project, teaching Mitchell Elementary School students how to grow food on their schoolyard plot. Soon, I had my very own herb plot that grew into a massive garden. And just like we did as children at Mom-Maw’s house, I was always using herbs, veggies and fruit straight from the garden in all my recipes.
As my garden grew, so did my need to learn more about farming. I acquired three incredible hens that would provide me with the most delicious eggs. I started taking cheese making, canning, and herbal dyeing classes. But I still wanted to learn more.
Next, I applied for an apprenticeship with Lowcountry Local First where I would work on a farm and take agriculture classes to start my own farm. The idea being that I could run my own sustainable bakery. After working with many talented farmers, I wanted to showcase their hard work as well.
This is when The Mile Pie Club was created. It was a pie subscription where my members would pick between sweet or savory and they’d get an ingredient card specifying which local farm the item came from. It was awesome! I loved interacting with all the farmers and a lot of them really helped me succeed by discounting their produce to me or giving me “seconds” that were imperfect for market. Thank God for imperfections.
While all of this was happening, my friend, Chris Pawlawski, helped me land a job as the rooftop gardener for McCrady’s restaurant. This was a dream job I didn’t even know existed.
McCrady’s catapulted me into a world of culinary excellence that I had only seen on television. I was working with chefs that had more talent in their pinkies than I did in my whole body. McCrady’s was like Narnia for me! The building itself was a maze, and I couldn’t stay away. I was there everyday learning, talking to the chefs and planting new seeds to see what they tasted like in each stage of growth.
I worked for McCradys for six amazing years, at a time when McCrady’s was at its peak and just before it closed its doors forever. I’ll be grateful for this job for as long as I live. I met friends that became family in that building.
The next few years were a whirlwind of fun, learning, failing, moving, studying permaculture design in Costa Rica and a pandemic that shook everything up…for everyone.
The Cake Farmer, like many businesses, was forced to pivot. I nannied. I bartended. I delivered Charleston Living Magazines. I even worked in the service department for Lowcountry Volkswagen for a little while. Then I got back into gardening and consulting on how to grow, harvest, preserve and fully utilize a home garden.
After a car accident in early 2024 shook things up a bit for me, I realized there is no *perfect* timing for things to fall into place, just timing. And while I’ve got time, and those dreams of a sustainable bakery/farm with bees, u-pick flowers, weddings, classes and events are still pumping through my veins, I’m going to work to achieve them all.
And with the help of my dear friends from Vern’s, Bethany & Daniel Heinze, & my soul sister, Karen McCarthy, a fellow student at Punta Mona, my farm dreams are coming true! I’m so grateful for their investments and for introducing me to the Robertson’s on Sheldon Farms, where my farm dreams are growing alongside what they’ve built on their incredible Wadmalaw properties the last twenty years. I feel blessed beyond measure and I can’t wait to share with this beautiful community that has always supported me.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The biggest struggle in the last ten years was definitely navigating Covid and the business while no one was in need of a wedding cake or a birthday cake. Many of the McCrady’s family moved away from each other to start their own passion projects. But the crazy thing about this town, was every time I put myself back out there to see if any one would order, I was always shocked at how many people wanted a handmade pie or holiday cake. Truthfully, I felt grateful not to have the hurdles of a brick and mortar during that time.
More recently, I’ve struggled with the best of them. I feel like a real farmer. I’m having a full range of emotions when I walk out of a field at night looking at all my hard work blossoming, only to arrive the next morning to see devastation from a deer family getting in the field. My amazingly supportive landlords helped enclose the fence around the garden, and within days I saw growth.
It ebbs and it flows. It does crush me to have a deer eat a row of broccoli, but again, I’m finding gratitude that I was capable of growing that row of broccoli in the first place. I can’t wait to watch the growth of the farm in ten years.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My favorite thing to grow is edible flowers. Maybe flowers in general. This year I purchased bees, and they arrive in April. I love knowing I can have 60,000 pets and care for them with flowers. It lights me up. I’ve always used edible flowers to decorate my baked goods. However, many of these edible flowers have medicinal properties. I haven’t embarked on Amy’s Apothecary just yet, but keep an eye out for my locally sourced lip balms…hopefully made with our own beeswax.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
The people are my favorite. The people support small local businesses. Locals have done so for years, and I love watching newcomers adjust to our sweet small city style. Eventually, they shake off the corporate vibes they may have arrived with, and they really embrace the beauty that is Charleston.
My least favorite, the potholes.
Pricing:
- Cakes start at $100 for a 7” round, 3 layer cake
- Edible Flowers start at $20/ large clam shell
- Lip Balms start at $10-25
- Garden Consultation Packages start at $250
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thecakefarmer.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecakefarmer
