Meet Elissa Buckley of Aspen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Elissa Buckley.

Hi Elissa, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My baking love began at the age of four by helping my Mom with my Grandma’s pie recipes. When I was six, I received Who’s That Short Chef cookbook. I made my first recipe modification on the Snickerdoodle recipe from that book…” this needs more butter!” And I’m still modifying my recipes to this day! Besides baking, I also grew up loving arts & crafts, drawing, painting, and sculpting, but my focus turned to sports, math, and the sciences as I got older. I still loved art, but it had faded to the background by high school. I went to CU Boulder to study pre-med and become a physician like my dad. I took what would have been my senior year off of college to regroup. While looking for a job during my year off, I saw an ad for a Prep Assist in a local bakery. I was so excited about the opportunity that I couldn’t sleep the night before my interview. The local bakery, Spruce Confections, ended up hiring me. There I learned all about professional baking, and I loved every minute of it. Working with my hands and being able to eat everything I spent my days creating was extremely satisfying. My co-workers told me a would get sick of eating the sweets we made, but I never did! I grew up loving all sweets, but my least favorite was cake. Cake tended to lack in flavor, and the frosting was sickly sweet. At Spruce Confections, they made butter cakes with French-style buttercream. After one bite, I thought, “where has this kind of cake been my whole life!” I went back to college the following year to complete my degree. Despite graduating with honors, I decided to follow my passion for baking instead of medicine.

I worked in a couple of bakeries in the Boulder/Denver area before moving to the Aspen area to live with my aunt. She set up an interview for me with The Little Nell, the only Five-Star and Five-Diamond luxury hotel in Aspen. I was hired as a pastry cook. and worked my way up to being the Pastry Chef within four years. In the spring of 2009, I left The Little Nell to open my own custom cake studio. Making high-end cakes would marry my love of baking with my love of art. In June of 2009, I opened my business with one wedding cake in my books. I actually had a CPA ask me why I was opening a new business now [it was the beginning of the great recession]. I didn’t let that deter me. Even in those tough times, I could pay back my modest business loan within two months. My business grew exponentially due to word of mouth spreading fast in this small valley.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Finding a commercial kitchen was a pretty daunting task. I had to reach out to caterers and restaurants to see if they would be willing to rent part of their kitchen to me. Since I started my business in Aspen, the rent, even for a shared space, was so high. Hiring and training employees when you are so used to doing everything yourself is difficult. So many tasks I had to really dissect the steps to be able to teach them to my employees. So much is on automatic.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
d’Elissious is a high-end custom cake studio that excels in the art of unbelievable edible creations. I’m known for cakes that look amazing but also taste amazing. Cakes should be intricate in their flavor profile, not just sweet. My cakes are moist and flavorful [ranging from salty, crunchy, creamy, sour, bitter, and sweet]. I use premium ingredients like vanilla beans, Valrhona cocoa powder, and organic cage-free eggs. d’Elissious is especially proud of and known for our realistic 3D cakes.

How do you think about luck?
Ooh, luck… I don’t really believe in luck when it comes to my business. It’s been a whole lot of hard work and determination. My aunt, who brought me out to Aspen, was an integral part of my career opportunities in Aspen.

Contact Info:

• Address: 970-948-5668
• Email: elissa@delissiouscakestudio.com
• Website: www.delissouscakestudio.com
• Instagram: @delissiousaspen
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/delissious

Image Credits
Personal Photo – Brynne Bisig Cake Photos – Elissa Buckley