Frosted Pumpkin Gourmet

Vendor Spotlight

May 6, 2019

Karyn and Jeff Schwerzler are the husband and wife dynamic duo behind Frosted Pumpkin Gourmet. First originating their business together in New York, the couple has now been working together for over 22 years and has been in Georgia for the last 13 years. Their home office is in their beautiful home located in Alpharetta, and they travel all throughout the state to deliver their delicious cakes.

When we arrived at the Schwerzler’s house, Jeff immediately treated us to a surprise tasting of six mouthwatering cake samples. We must say, it was definitely worth the trip to Alpharetta!

DS: Do you have any pets?

JS: Yes, we have a kitty officially named Elle, but we call her “Kitty.”

DS: What is the most recent show you have binge watched on Netflix?

JS: Criminal Minds, probably 8 months ago

DS: Where are you from?

JS: New Jersey in Cliffside Park

DS: What was your first job?

JS: Paper route when I was 9. This is SO New York, Jeff laughs. It was right across from Manhattan. I had to walk a mile and a half.

DS: Do you have any kids?

JS: Two girls, 17 and 14

DS: How did you meet your wife?

JS: Culinary school. We were 17. We were in Rhode Island and I met her in the laundry room, and I don’t remember this, but she told her roommate I was the biggest pervert, Jeff laughs. We became friends ever since.

We also asked Jeff how he proposed and he shared with us the sweetest story of how he rented a horse drawn carriage sleigh ride in the middle of summer. He said Karyn was so embarrassed to be traveling down the road in the carriage because people kept starring at them because it was so uncommon to see this, especially in June!

DS: What advice would you give your younger self?

JS: Invest sooner. Although I invested pretty early, probably when I was about 25 years old, I still tell my girls all the time to start investing now.

DS: What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?

JS: One of my dad’s best friends who was a very, very successful business person told me to stay focused on the goal. There are always going to be little things that are stressful that happen along that way, but you won’t even remember those later on.

DS: Who is your role model?

JS: So many, although I feel like my dad, my brothers, and Mr. P would be my biggest roles models. Mr. P. is my dad’s friend who gave me the advice.

DS: What is the most worn item in your wardrobe?

JS: Probably my workout clothes. I coach track at Creekview High School. My daughter Ashley is a runner and Nicole is a thrower. They both went to the Junior Olympics a couple of years ago.

DS: What is your favorite way to de-stress?

JS: Workout, meditation, mindless movies.

DS: What is your ideal Friday night?

JS: Probably going to dinner and a movie with Karyn in the convertible.

DS: What is one superpower you wish you could have?

JS: To be able to speak every language in the world, fluently. That would be so cool.

DS: What is the best gift you have ever received?

JS: It’s not a gift, but probably my nuclear family. Karyn and the girls.

DS: What is your favorite thing about yourself?

JS: I feel this about myself and my brothers tell me this about myself too. I can go into any situation. My brothers used to call me “the chameleon” and tell me that it’s like I’m supposed to be in any situation.

DS: What is your favorite part about working with your wife? Least favorite?

JS: It doesn’t get old. We really enjoy working together, and I think it’s because we have different responsibilities. The hardest thing you would think would be that we would get sick of each other, but we really don’t.

JEFF’S FAVORITES

DS: Animal?

JS: Cheetah

DS: Restaurant?

JS: We go to a steakhouse called Pampas. We go there every year on December 21^st with the girls.

Jeff shared a special story with us here about how meaningful his family dinners are at Pampas, SO sweet!

DS: Smell?

JS: Herbs. I also like a combination of things together, like lavender and rosemary. Garlic and onions is Sunday morning because every Sunday morning my mother used to make us the same breakfast with that smell.

DS: Band?

JS: I like so much different music that it’s hard to tell. It depends on my mood.

DS: Drink?

JS: Karyn’s iced tea. We don’t drink much, but I like a Hendricks gin and tonic if I do.

DS: Food?

JS: Ribeye

DS: Movie?

JS: Night Shift from 1982

DS: Cake flavor to eat?

JS: Chocolate mouse and ganache

DS: Cake flavor to bake?

JS: Carrot cake because of the smell

LET’S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS

DS: How did you get into the cake baking business?

JS: Karyn made me, Jeff laughs. Within the first two weeks that I met her, she told me she just wanted to do wedding cakes. About a year and a half after she graduated, I was done being a chef in Manhattan and she was too busy and didn’t want to do as much of the business side, so I decided to help her.

DS: What are each of your roles in the business?

JS: Karyn bakes and has an assistant to help her bake. Baking is more the boring part. We both decorate. Karyn is so artistic and just has a touch. I can’t ice a cake with buttercream and she does it perfectly!

DS: How many deliveries do you make over the weekend?

JS: On average 5

DS: Where do you deliver?

JS: Mostly in the Dahlonega area or Midtown. We do go out to Foxhall Resort and Barnsley Gardens too.

DS: How do you plan out all of your deliveries?

JS: It takes a lot of planning. The most we have ever done in a weekend was 27 jobs with 19 weddings! I had to rent a refrigerated truck.

We were absolutely amazed as to how someone could bake, assemble, decorate, and deliver 27 different cakes in one weekend!

DS: What is your most commonly asked question by brides?

JS: Can we do different flavors on the tiers?

DS: What is your minimum budget?

JS: Our minimum for a wedding cake itself is $500.

DS: What is the most stressful part of your job?

JS: Coordinating everything. Baking schedules, delivery schedules. It’s the most stressful part, but also my favorite part, Jeff laughs.

DS: What is your one piece of advice for newlyweds?

JS: For the grooms, all you need to do is listen to your wife.

We joked about how we need Jeff to tell our husbands this!

DS: What is your typical cake schedule like during the week?

JS: Wednesday is design work. We do baking early on Thursday and then filling. Friday is assembly and all production and icing. Saturday’s and sometimes Sunday’s are for finishing and delivering.

DS: What about a rest day?

JS: What is rest day, Jeff laughs. I used to take Monday’s off, but I found that more stressful because I would be thinking about the things I had to do.