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A Custom Cake Shop |
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Directions Our shop is located at 22 Fire Island Avenue in the heart of Babylon Village. Simply take any of the highways and exits listed and follow the directions below:
Exit 51 South on the Long Island Expressway Exit 42 South on the Northern State Parkway Exit 39 South on the Southern State Parkway Exit 39 South on the Sunrise Highway
Take any of the above exits for Route 231/Deer Park Ave. South. Stay on Route 231 south till it ends at Montauk Highway. Make a right onto Montauk Highway and continue to the 2nd traffic light. At the 2nd traffic light make a left onto Fire Island Avenue. Our shop is the 4th store on the right.
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Hours
I am available for walk in (no appointment needed) orders and consultations on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11am to 4pm.
If you can’t make it in at the times above you can schedule an appointment to come in on a different day or set up an evening consultation.
Please keep in mind that my weekend workload and delivery schedule make appointments very difficult for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
We are closed on Mondays. |
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How is your shop different from a bakery?
Bakeries are wonderful places...I’ve adored them since I was a child (and yes, you will see me going into one to buy sprinkle cookies because I’m addicted to them!). They have decorative cakes and dessert cakes, pastries and breads, cookies and cupcakes...all great stuff. You can even get highly decorative cakes at some bakeries but you will not get a one of a kind piece of edible art handcrafted by ME! My cakes are pieces of art in which flour, sugar, buttercream and fondant just happen to be the medium I use to create. When you ask for sugar flowers for your cake I don’t open a box of pre-made sugar flowers….I hand make them myself. When you ask for a figure of a little girl sitting in a cake garden that figure is hand sculpted and that garden in created by me. The only other person that ever has contact with your cake is my partner and muse Terry. He is the only other person I trust and allow to create with me or even in my shop while I work.
Why don’t you list prices on your site?
Easy...because if I listed the price under each cake picture it would still be the price for that specific cake. What if you need less or more servings? What if you don’t want roses but want daisies...totally different price! There are so many factors to be considered (number of guests, are you having a dessert buffet or is the cake the only dessert, are kids invited, is it an all female guest list or are men invited, do you want a smaller display cake plus kitchen cakes and on and on) that its just easier to speak with each client and address their needs...this isn’t your usual shop, our clients are usually looking for something unique and so their requests require a unique response. And if you’ve read the above question you’re probably wondering if my prices are higher than bakery prices...yes, they are. With the level of detail in my cakes this requires a great deal of man hours and comes from years of experience and talent which translates into higher quality product at a higher price. If you have a budget let me know. If I can work within that budget I’ll give you different options for the best cake. If I can’t well it was still worth asking, right?
How and when do I place an order?
You can place an order via phone, email or in person. Please keep in mind we do book up fast because we only take a few orders per weekend. I advise booking wedding cakes 6 months in advance, large party cakes 1-3 months in advance and smaller party cakes 3-6 weeks in advance. With that said...if you’ve forgotten to order your cake SOMETIMES we can put in last minute orders. This is the exception rather than the norm so please order early because I really do feel bad when I have to tell someone their date is already booked. Just a note...if you’re trying to reach me and keep getting the voicemail remember I may be on the other line, with a client or working and can’t stop right at that moment to answer. When emailing or calling please leave the party date and number of servings with your contact info….sometimes I can’t call or email back right away because of how busy I am so dates and serving info are critical if you need an immediate email or call back! Please remember I DO NOT schedule consultations on Friday, Saturday or Sunday because of workload, customer pick ups and deliveries. I really do understand that this is when the majority of people have time off BUT I cannot and will not compromise orders I’ve already been commissioned to do in order to take future orders. It just wouldn’t be the right thing to do and sets a bad precedent.
Do you offer tastings and sketches of cake designs?
I only do tastings for weddings where a full consultation is required. The consultation usually runs about 1 hour and comes with two cake and filling choices. The cost is $60.00 and if the wedding cake is booked this fee comes off the cost of the wedding cake. Most of my business is from referrals so most party cake customers have already tried my cakes. If you haven’t and want to taste (who wouldn’t...its cake!) then an order for a few assorted cupcakes and fillings cake be placed. Sorry I don’t have time to do a sketch for every cake. I only do them when its necessary for the design and this is usually more for my benefit in creating the cake than for the client.
Do you make cakes for any occasion and what about food allergies?
Just about any occasion...my kitchen is very visible to anyone walking in the shop so anything blatantly X-rated is out because I really don’t want to have that conversation with any little kids coming in with mom to order a cake. Risqué is okay as long as it can be tastefully done. Any other occasion cakes, religious, non religious, groom’s cakes, union or commitment celebrations, divorce parties, etc are welcome. There is no minimum in terms of servings. I have to have permission to recreate any trademarked designs. I can make egg free, dairy free, nut free and vegan cakes as well but keep in mind as much as I can take precautions there is always a risk of cross contamination. I can also use natural food coloring but the colors are muted and limited as compared to artificial colors. Also, some natural colors can affect the taste of the frosting.
Do you deliver or ship?
Yes and yes! Terry and I can hand deliver a cake just about anywhere...our furthest delivery was to Key West! The rate is determined by distance, destination and time of year...if you’ve ever driven out to the Hamptons in the summer you’ll understand! Shipping is a little trickier. We only ship Fedex overnight with the earliest morning arrival time. The decorations are shipped separately from the cake but keep in mind not all designs can be shipped. Call or email for more info on shipping. At this time we cannot ship outside of the US.
Are you hiring or teaching any classes?
No and no! They say to never say never so I’ll just say it’s very highly unlikely I’d ever hire someone to help with the cakes. My cakes are my art and I don’t allow anyone but Terry to be involved in my creating. I may have to hire help to deal with the phones and email though...yes, I’ve heard all of you that are tired of getting my voicemail! I don’t have any time to teach and honestly, I’m such a perfectionist and temperamental artist that you’d hate being taught by me! See, I’m saving you from the pain and trauma of my teaching...getting rapped across the knuckles with a rolling pin has got to hurt!
Who is Madame Butterfly, does she like opera and how did she get into cake decorating?
Many people have questions about me so here’s a little background info...I studied psychology and my cake art is completely self taught but I did take a two week course at the Culinary Institute of America so see if I really “knew my stuff” and proved to myself I did! I do love opera but the name “Madame Butterfly Cakes” came from a friend who saw some of my edible butterflies and remarked “you’re Madame Butterfly”. Yes, my name is really Micheline and yes, you can say like the tire...I’m used to it by now! No, I don’t mind if you call me Madame or Madame Butterfly...when I decided to call the shop “Madame Butterfly Cakes” I honestly didn’t think people would refer to me as Madame Butterfly. I kind of lost my identity but gained another one….or maybe more of a split personality. I’ll agree that it makes things a bit weird when someone introduces me as “The Madame” but as soon as I explain further its okay. At least it makes for good conversation! I’ve always been artistic and loved to bake so it was just a natural progression.
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