Meet Jen Drury | Owner of No More Boring Cakes

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jen Drury and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jen, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
As I step back and take a birds eye view of my industry (custom cakes) I would say that one of the things that people are unaware of is the fact that they may be purchasing cakes (or other goodies) from someone that is not licensed and operating under the health departments rules and regulations.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
No More Boring Cakes was birthed from the idea of re-training people that there are other options than to just purchase a ‘boring’ cake from a big box store. I began my career by making cakes for my loved ones about 20 years ago. I realized that not only was I good at decorating cakes, but I loved it! I took a very basic class at a local craft store and the rest is history, being that I am self-taught. Over the years, as websites/videos/tutorials popped up online I have been able to expand my knowledge, but in the beginning years – I had to go to the library and check out books in order to learn more 😉 The challenges that presented themselves was learning how to market and advertise to gain business. Years ago, you had to operate out of a commercial kitchen in order to be licensed and obtain a health permit. So that was exactly what I did, renting a local deli after hours and then moving on to open a storefront in conjunction with a local catering company. I now, however have the ability to work from home under The Cottage Food Law and have all appropriate license and health permits 🙂 In recent years, I have been helping others work thru the process of becoming licensed which allows a much more open and progressive marketing campaign to unfold. No More Boring Cakes has been well established in North County for so many years now, that I am incredibly proud that I am still going strong and developing new business ideas to continue to push forth in the cake decorating world.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
What a fun question! I would plan to take my friend to all of my local spots that I enjoy. I visit local coffee shops regularly to indulge in a white chocolate mocha (Mostra, Buccaneer, Jitters, El Kafecito, Pannikin) so that would be our early morning stop. The Oceanside beaches, strand, pier have my heart and I would also cruise in over to look for the sea lions at the Oceanside Harbor. Then drive up and down the coast from Oceanside to Del Mar would be a must – enjoying the salty, windy, ocean air. Lunch/dinner and /or cocktails would be supporting local small businesses such as Las Brisas Mexican, Pacific Coast Spirits, Ty’s Burgers, Zigzag Pizza, Uncle Tonys, or Chef Tang – where I have spent much time not only enjoying the food/drinks but also connecting with the owners.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
After legally operating a custom cake business for nearly 15 years now – as I look back over the years and take a moment to recall the people who have made a significant difference in the trajectory of my business, I immediately think about my parents. Not a day goes by that I don’t know without a shadow of a doubt that they all (biological/step, etc) believe in me and are extremely proud of me. And that simple knowledge allows me to propel myself to reach new goals and aspirations regularly.

Website: www.nomoreboringcakes.com

Instagram: @nomoreboringcakes

Facebook: www.facebook.com/nomoreboringcakes

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/no-more-boring-cakes-vista-4