Kitty Vacha, owner of Tasteful Indulgence, Cake Art of Seward, will appear on Food Network’s Cake Wars on Monday, June 13, at 8 p.m. CST.
Kitty has worked with the Center for Rural Affairs Women’s Business Center since August 2012. She met with Center staffer Monica Braun and Jonathan Jank of Seward County Economic Development when she was exploring the idea of moving her business to “Main Street” in Seward.
Since the owner, designer and head decorator was getting her customers mostly through word of mouth, and walk-in traffic wasn’t critical to her business, she remained in her current location and made improvements. Having specific hours for walk-in traffic could have been somewhat limiting to the growth of her niche market.
Kitty has attended several Women’s Business Center trainings, as well as GROW Nebraska and other training opportunities and networking activities in Seward and around Nebraska.
“Kitty is always eager to learn. She brainstorms ideas with wise friends, other business owners and resource providers,” Monica said. “Kitty is willing to ask questions, gather information and make wise decisions.”
The owner of Tasteful Indulgence is also willing to share her experience and knowledge. She was a presenter at the 2015 Women Entrepreneurs Conference sponsored by the Center for Rural Affairs, in Grand Island. She participates in the Seward Area Women’s Roundtable.
Kitty was born and raised in Oregon, and moved to Seward, Neb., after living in Anchorage, Alaska. She worked as a medical assistant in pediatrics and as a limited x-ray tech before taking time to stay home and raise her two sons, Chris and Zach.
She had always been interested in learning to decorate cakes, so she enrolled in a Wilton class at a local craft store, to pass the long, dark Alaskan nights. She took three courses, then was recruited to teach at the school. She spent the next few years reading books, participating in online educational forums and studying sugar art techniques.
“I would love to say that I attended a fancy pastry school, however, other than the three courses I took from Wilton, I am completely self taught,” Kitty said on her website.
She opened Tasteful Indulgence, Cake Art of Seward in May 2011.
“I am very blessed to say it has wildly exceeded all of my expectations,” Kitty said. “I pray that I can share my enthusiasm for ‘all things cake’ with you soon.”
We are so excited to see Kitty and her assistant, Betty, competing in the SpongeBob episode on Monday. Be sure to tune in to the show, and follow @cfra on Twitter as we live tweet the event.
For more on Kitty’s business, you may visit her website at www.tastefulindulgence.com, or find her on Facebook.
Tasteful Indulgence, Cake Art of Seward
Kitty Vacha, owner, designer and head decorator
235 River St., Seward, Neb. 68434
402.643.6403
www.tastefulindulgence.com
