Hi, I'm Smari, a cake artist based in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

I am a self-taught baker and learned from watching countless YouTube videos and many trials and errors in the kitchen. Creating cakes with natural elements like pressed flowers, dehydrated fruits, and whimsical elements makes each of my creations fun and unique. Some of my favorite cake flavors are with citrus tones- chocolate orange and Italian lemon cakes.

As a child, I have memories of holding my grandfather’s hands and exploring the local sweet shops across Bhotahity, a bustling old neighborhood in Kathmandu, Nepal. The shops usually sold traditional sweets made of milk, ghee, and nuts (ladoos, barfis). On rare occasions, we would go to a pastry shop in town, where I would devour the chewy caramels that came in a crackly red wrapper and the neatly sliced cakes that were topped with bright red cherries.

In my early 20s, I started baking sporadically, as I simply had the urge to recreate some of the unforgettable flavors that I’ve held closely since I was a child. Baking for my loved ones gave me a place to explore that nostalgia. The cake decorating part came a bit later…My mom is my inspiration for all things creative, and the unconventional artistic expressions that she lives by.

I live with my husband and two young boys in the Twin Cities. They are my most enthusiastic (and critical) taste testers! All I can say is they are a key part of my home bakery.