Today we’d like to introduce you to Camrey Smith.
Hi Camrey, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
It all started with a creative and imaginative young girl who loved watching Food Network right when she got home from school. She is me.
Growing up, I was, and continue to be, someone who loves to create and allow my mind to spill out art by any means necessary. Originally, I wanted to be a fashion designer, then I took a liking to cooking and continued that interest into school.
My high school had a Culinary Arts vocational program that I took part in and LOVED! After that, I continued my education into college where I then graduated from the Schoolcraft College Culinary Arts program and really began my journey.
I worked as a line cook for a couple of years early in my career before I transitioned into Pastry Arts and selling custom cakes/pastries from the comfort of my home under the Cottage Food Law here in Michigan.
It took me a while to hone in on my personal style early on in my cake decorating journey, but when it finally landed, I felt right at home; like it was what I was meant to be doing with my life. I gravitate and adore abstract art in a conventional sense, so it felt very natural to bring that essence to my cakes as well.
This wonderful artistic gift has taken me to moments I never could’ve dreamed of, one being my participation on Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship Season 12 this past year. It was insane and so full circle!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This journey has been incredibly validating, introspective, & at times, sobering in nature.
I have learned so much about myself as a person and Pastry Chef during the last 8 years I have been in this industry working professionally and building my business as Halcyon Patisserie. Every day is a blessing that I am endlessly grateful for & I feel grateful to do something that I truly love for a living. It makes me even happier to share this gift with the world, share my love for others, in the way I know how, and that’s through food & art.
Early on in my career I struggled with Imposter Syndrome and finding my place in the industry, as most young chefs & artists may experience. But, as I’ve grown in myself and in my profession, I’ve learned that it’s not my job to conform, it never was. It was to make a lane for myself and express what’s inside of me in a way that people can feel and understand without necessarily needing words. It just so happens to be on a cake haha!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in abstract art through the medium of baking, specifically via cake & pastry. I got my technical start in culinary school where I fell in love with Baking & Pastry Arts.
While the bones were built in school, the soul was honed over time from trial and error, experimentation and exploration of my own creative mind and the mediums I’ve drawn inspiration from in the developmental years of Halcyon.
Growing up, my mom would take my sister and I to the DIA (Detroit Institute of Arts) every summer (and as often as possible). Through those moments, I learned a great respect and love for art very early on. I still am an active museum goer and love art and history in a general sense, so translating that inspiration onto cakes became the fun part.
I was, and am currently, known for my abstract style using palette knives for texture and contrast on my cakes, as I love creating tension and drama through colors and texture.
Looking back to where I started versus now, I am incredibly proud of how far I’ve come as an artist and am so very excited for what’s to come!
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I think taking risks are important when you’re betting on your talents and what you hold inside yourself. Bearing yourself creatively, despite if people will get it or not, takes an act of courage and groundedness, but when it happens successfully, it can totally pay off. Even if it happens “unsuccessfully”, there is still opportunity there; be it through exposure or redirection.
I wouldn’t have had the opportunities that have come my way, heck, I wouldn’t even be talking to you all right now if I never took a risk and followed my gut feeling.
Life is about calculated risks and learning along the way. It is one of the most beautiful aspects of life, I believe. Having the opportunity to try and fail and try again, but better the next time, is just as rewarding as when things don’t necessarily happen the way you want it to, because in the end, you’ll end up right where you’re meant to be.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.halcyonpatisserie.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/halcyon_patisserie?igsh=NWFhNGduMmQ2em1w
