CREATE MAKE REPEAT
My Story… So Far
humble beginnings in the kitchen
Hello there! My name is Stacey, The Edible Tech Guru. My interests in technology and baking both go back to my childhood. I began baking with my grandparents at a young age, and my mother was a Wilton Method student who taught me how to decorate my first cake. In 2016 I launched Stacey’s Custom Cakes and began baking professionally for clients.
discovering the electronic age of decorating
I first learned that technology and food can and do work together when I discovered edible printing! Shortly after that, I discovered that my electronic die cutting machine could also be used for decorating. Fast forward to today, and I use technology with nearly every dessert I deliver.
“hang on, tell me again what you did”
The story of Edible Tech Guru started with an innocent conversation with the founder of Icing Images, Debbie Coughlin, at the Simi Sugar Splash Retreat in 2023. I had been wrestling with a specific issue with my edible paper printer, and I finally found a solution. Since Debbie and I had talked about this issue in the past, I was excited to share my discovery with her. When I explained what I had done, her response was “hang on, tell me again what you did!”
What was it exactly that I did? “Nothing serious,” I thought! I had developed a Weekly Test Print that would ensure every one of the ink nozzles in my edible printer were activated. This gave me better feedback on the mechanical status of the printer compared to the standard nozzle check and gave me a way to track my printer’s performance over time. All I had to do was reverse engineer the exact color mix used for the cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks that Icing Images used. Again, it was nothing I thought was serious or complicated. I was wrong, so very wrong.
Debbie was so entertained and excited about what I had done, she told me I had to join her on one of her weekly Facebook Live events to show others what I had done. About a month later, I was introduced as “that geek who did something really cool.” I proceeded to demonstrate my methods for using technology in my cake decorating, and people loved it! I was invited to come back and talk more about technology, and well, we just kept going! To this day, Debbie still giggles when she introduces me as “this really geeky guy that just thinks about things differently.” Well, Debbie, at least you know I think!
a fun, new hobby becomes serious
Becoming a monthly fixture on Icing Images’ Facebook Lives for a year taught me a lot about myself. I realized my approach to technology and food was truly unique (if not a bit odd). I also learned that a lot of people have a genuine fear of technology and its use in the kitchen (and that breaks my heart). And much to my surprise, I discovered a lot of people enjoy hearing me explain complicated topics in a way that is approachable (take that, Mrs. X, my middle school public speaking teacher). I also (somewhat begrudgingly at first) picked up the nickname of The Edible Tech Guru. This all brings you, dear reader, to this very moment. Edible Tech Guru LLC is not just my attempt to help you Up Your Technical Game, but the act of me leveraging all of my experience and knowledge into equipping you for creating your own magnificent (and edible) works of art using technology. Let’s go!
“Provide education and resources to decorators of all experience levels, so that they have the knowledge and confidence to Create Make and Repeat.”
What Does the Future Hold?
Short answer? Everything!
Long answer? Everything and a whole lot more!
Since the official launching of Edible Tech Guru, I have started developing products and services that help decorators grab technology and use it everyday in their kitchens and studios. In addition to my monthly Facebook Lives with Icing Images, I travel with Icing Images to different cake and cookie shows in North America teaching people how to use technology; recording and editing self-driven courses called On-Demand Learning Sessions; offering personalized tutoring with One-to-One Sessions; and doing live teaching for The Sweet Chalet Shoppe in Sandford, Florida.