Cake! magazine by Australian Cake Decorating Network August 2017 | Page 48

Miranda Piotrovska
interview with
From Cake Pops to Paint Palettes
– An Interview with Miranda from
Sweet Sticks
Written by Kellie Rudland
By now, you’ve more than likely
heard of or used Edible Art Paints
- you know, the edible paints that
paint on just about anything? We
sat down with Miranda Piotrovska,
the mastermind behind this product
that has taken the cake decorating
industry by storm.
How did you get started in the baking
industry?
I found my way in the baking industry
when I needed to find a new career
path for when I became a mum to
my first child Jacob. [I was] working
full time in visual merchandise
management and having a side
business at the Melbourne markets,
it was time for change with new life
coming.
Has it always been about cake pops
for you?
It was! I Googled my way through
different ideas to sink my teeth into
and cake pops just had my heart. I
practised for almost a year before I
felt confident enough to share with my
family and friends, and before I knew
it I was running Sweet Sticks.
Your business has shifted from
blogging and recipe development
to focusing on the production of
Edible Art Paints. Do you see yourself
returning to cake pops in the future?
At this stage probably not, but you
can never say never right?
Tell us about the process of developing
Edible Art Paints. Was it more or less
difficult than you imagined?
It was almost a year in the making
to develop the Edible Art Decorative
Paint range. It was me with my mini
home studio filled with so many
sample ingredients, lots of syringes
and endless notebooks of different
formulas and ingredients. We had
so many ‘science nights’ at our
place with different family members
and friends trying to create the
perfect formula. It was a really fun
experience because there wasn’t
any expectations. No one knew what
I was doing and at that stage even I
wasn’t sure what I was doing either.
All I knew is that I had to keep going.
Sounds cliché, right!
been so supportive and just downright
nice. It’s been an awesome adventure!
What has been the most valuable
business advice you’ve received?
1. F
 ocus on what you are doing,
not what others are doing. And
it’s so true!
2. N
 EVER GIVE UP - there is
ALWAYS a solution.
3. Get a good book keeper!
Did you ever anticipate the amazing
reaction to your paints?
No way! I wake up every day
still thankful and grateful for this
experience. It’s what keeps me going.
Through this journey I feel like I’ve
found what I really love to do and for
that I am grateful. The industry has
Do you have any tips for juggling a
successful business with raising a
young family?
Creating time for every area of your
life and being accountable for where
you spend your time. Every hour for
me has to be planned out for my day