About

Epiphany Cakes started with a lemon poppyseed bundt cake in my Vancouver kitchen in 2001.  I had never really baked much.  I studied Fine Arts in University and worked behind a desk in public relations for some years after that.  And then I met and married a sweet Canadian gentleman and moved to Vancouver.  

That's where that bundt cake comes in.  I wasn't able to work for my first year in Canada while my immigration paperwork was being processed (I'm originally Egyptian / American).  I found myself spending lots of time in the kitchen, getting creative, cooking elaborate meals and baking.  It was the first time in my life that I had really cooked and I loved it.    

One gray Vancouver afternoon, as I was baking a Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake with pretty sugar glaze dripping off of it, I recognized a wonderfully familiar feeling.  It was the feeling of getting lost in the creative process, the same feeling I'd had in the photography darkroom or drawing and painting in university.  My love of baking began at that moment.  I wanted to learn more.  I immediately enrolled in the Baking and Pastry Arts program at Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts on Granville Island and began my studies to become a pastry chef.

I worked as a pastry chef in Vancouver until 2005 when my son Nile  was born and our family moved to Nelson.  

In the spring of 2006 I opened my own little cake and pastry shop.  I called it "Epiphany Cakes" because of the way that lemon bundt cake had changed the course of my life and career.

The business started small but quickly grew.  People seemed to respond to the ethos behind Epiphany Cakes: Baking from scratch, prepared with love using organic ingredients.     

My ingredients are organic and sourced locally whenever possible.  Throughout the year I receive fresh organic eggs from a farmer in Glade, who tells me that his chickens are the happiest on earth (I've visited his picturesque farm and I am inclined to believe him!).  And In the summer months I receive weekly deliveries of edible organic flowers and berries from Aurora Gardens on Nelson's North Shore   

Each year I look forward to spring and summer when orders for wedding cakes come rolling in. I love working with couples to create the perfect cake for their event.  It's wonderfully fun and fulfilling to design a cake that not only tastes amazing but reflects the personalities of the bride and groom on their special day.   

Over the years I have created everything from a five tired fondant-covered wedding cake dotted in tiny sugar flowers in shades of blue, to simple, elegant vanilla cupcakes stacked high on a tower and decorated with tiny edible pansies.  I adore the process of creating wedding cakes.  I truly love my job.   

I operate out of a sweet-smelling commercial kitchen in my home in Nelson, BC. Epiphany baked goods are available by special order (At least 2 days notice is appreciated for cake orders).   Select items are also available at Oso Negro, Ellisons, The Kootenay Coop and Evergreen (Crescent Valley).   

Melissa Owen
Epiphany Cakes Owner & Pastry Chef