Business & Tech
Teen Jobs Part I: Caroline’s Cakes
Our 'Broadneck Buzz' columnist visits local teens on the job this summer. This is the first installment of this series.
With a bounty of delicious treats and confections, has become an extremely popular business in the Broadneck area and across the country. The business has won recognition in the media, including mentions on The Today Show, the Food Network, and Forbes Magazine. A special “Caroline’s Cake” will even be making an appearance this August in the upcoming Dreamworks' film The Help.
But with all the fame and prosperity, the staff of Caroline’s Cakes maintains a personal, almost family style air.
“Oh, yeah, we get calls from regular customers all the time,” says Annie Lally, upcoming junior and Caroline’s Cakes employee. “We know a lot of them by name.”
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The personal feeling at Caroline’s is evident to customers who walk in and head to the big shiny counter to place their order. Guests enjoy a personal greeting as if they were all just old friends.
Local teen Caitlin Youngk has worked at Caroline’s Cakes for four years as a sales clerk, having graduated Broadneck High School in ’09.
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“This is a great place to work; the people are nice, the hours are great, and every once in a while we get to eat a little cake, too,” she said with a smile.
Tasks involved in their job description include answering phones, operating the Icee machine out front and taking care of cake orders, all the while earning a decent salary with flexible hours.
“And its not one of those businesses where the name on the sign is a person who you never get to see,” Youngk said. “Caroline herself is oftentimes here, working with the cake designers or answering the phones.”
Annapolis resident Caroline Ruetter is the founder of Caroline’s Cakes and her next-door restaurant Caroline’s Gourmet. This is the same Caroline who received nationwide fame through word-of-mouth buzz over her caramel cakes, all hand-made from a special southern recipe.
Caroline’s Cakes is open from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., selling both plain and specially designed cakes, in addition to cake slices, cupcakes, tins, dishes and even napkins. Their cakes are shipped nationwide, with a new store soon to be going up somewhere in the Carolinas. To visit their site, go to http://www.carolinescakes.com/.