Roselle, Illinois, baker transforms cupcakes into lifelike floral arrangements
Imagine receiving a bouquet so stunning you wouldn't dare pluck a petal. Until you realize it's not made of flowers at all.
Meet the Roselle, Illinois, woman who is turning the art of baking into floral masterpieces.
Jola Kalski, 62, has a talent for turning butter cream into art that often catches her customers by surprise.
"I love when people come to the door and look at the bouquet and just ... that's the moment," she said with a surprised expression on her face.
Kalski is self-taught, learning by watching videos on YouTube.
"I try, try and practice and practice, and that's what it is today," she said.
It all started with a simple request: Her granddaughter asked for cupcakes for her graduation. Fast-forward a couple of years, and her hobby has blossomed into a thriving home business.
"Oh, I love to do this," she said. "They make me calm, they make me happy."
Each bouquet is handcrafted, and no two arrangements are alike. It takes time and patience to create the perfect pedal.
She blends colors using these special frosting tools and can personalize them for all occasions.
"They always say they look beautiful on the picture, but when they see how they really look, they say they are amazing," Jola said.
This isn't a one-woman production. She recruited her husband, John, to be a part of it.
"What I'm doing is trying to make them stay in their position so they look original, like a bouquet look like, that was a big challenge," he said.
He also taught himself how to make the base to hold each cupcake in a perfect arrangement.
"So, we watched videos of other people doing, how they're doing, and I come up with the idea," John said.
When asked if they enjoy working together?
"It keep me busy, it keep me busy, keep her happy," John said.
With every swirl of buttercream, her cupcake bouquets take about two hours to create.
For Jola, it's not just about how her cupcakes look—it's how they make people feel.
"My mom loves this," she said. "She never have anything like this, never seen anything like this She loved it said it's too beautiful to eat it. That sometimes just make me cry."
Each order is baked with love, frosted with care, and wrapped up with just the right touch.
Information about how to order from Home Baked Goodies can be found by visiting Jola's Facebook page. She's licensed to operate out of her Roselle home.
Orders range from $72 to $122 based on the size of the bouquets.
