Chloe McGenn (@PeskyChloe to thee and me) had a chat with Alice Wood, organiser of the Leeds Depressed Cake Shop …
About six or seven years ago, there was a phase in retail where every single shop did a range with a cupcake print on it. Somehow it reminded everyone I knew of me, and I was given just about every sort of cupcake printed item. I don’t really know why; I don’t ever bake, I don’t really eat cake at all, I think perhaps it’s the mixture of whimsy, sweetness and bright colours. When I got a text from six different people on the same day telling me Morissons had just released a cupcake printed range of home-wares, I knew that for some people, cupcakes would always remind them of me.
It’s not necessarily that I run in different circles now, but I’d say most people I’ve met in the last five years think of me when they hear about issues surrounding fatness or depression – these are labels I don’t mind having. Some people might have been offended by Phil thinking of me when he received a press release for The Depressed Cake Shop and forwarded it to me, but I was delighted.
On Sunday, cakes sold at this pop-up shop will all be decorated with one thing in common – using the theme of mental illness. Over ten bakers have been given the challenge of creating confectioneries which vary as widely as the symptoms.
The idea of something so whimsical being subverted in this way to visually represent something so intangible was more than interesting to me. It struck a nerve, as although I don’t bake, my main coping mechanism to deal with my own mental health problems is being creative and playful. I was eager to get to know Alice Wood, the organiser of the cake shop, a little better.
So Alice, where did the idea come from for the pop-up?
Alice: About a month ago I saw some media coverage on the Depressed Cake Shop online and discovered that it was a pop up event not just restricted to London, but one that was being encouraged to take place in cities all over the UK and further afield too. I instantly jumped at the chance to organise the pop up for Leeds due to a great interest and love in baking both professionally and at home and also due to my passion for raising awareness about mental health issues.
Are you a baker yourself?
Alice: I bake professionally in the café I work for and through volunteering as a baker for Inkwell to provide them with cakes to sell in their Saturday Café. I also love baking in my own kitchen at home and with friends.
What do you get out of baking?
Alice: Baking for me is very rewarding and great for building confidence. The satisfaction of being able to bake a good cake is amazing! The more you practice, the better you get and the more creative and adventurous you can be. Baking for me started as a hobby – through praise and recognition it is now a main part of my job and my life. As with most things, with baking there are successes and then there are absolute disasters, but you can always try again… cakes are forgiving and won’t judge you!
What do you hope to achieve with the pop-up?
Alice: The symptoms of depression can be complex – and vary widely – and so will the cakes on sale, many aiming to visually represent mental illness. For example barely decorated cakes or cookies will communicate how depression can affect your ability to work, the grey & dull consistent colour scheme that all fun can disappear from life. This will be a cake shop like nothing else seen before, the grey sad looking but delicious tasting cakes powerfully demonstrating the effects of depression. Each cake will have its own story and interpretation of mental illness around it and this is a great opportunity for those who are unaware of certain aspects of mental illness to discover and understand more about why it is important to talk about these issues and why they should not be ignored in the public eye.
Who else is involved? What will they be doing?
Alice: So far we have around fifteen bakers, both professional and amateur, contributing their cakes and baked goods to the pop up shop. Many of our cakes will also be made by those with personal experiences of depression, using baking as a way of expressing their struggles with, and experiences of, the illness. We also have volunteers who are willing to donate their time to help out with the event on the day and with the organising the event.
Do you have any future plans for more events of this sort?
Alice: I hope to be able to combine baking and mental health awareness in the future. Ideally I would like to be able to start up a series of baking workshops and classes for mental health service users in the community to help people discover new skills and re-build their confidence.
So, from getting a press release, I’ve now got myself quite involved in this event! As I can’t bake, I’ve been trying to create grey cakes in other ways, like decorations and necklaces. It’s stirred creative juices inside me, and I’m looking forward to helping to raise awareness at the weekend, and hope other people start seeing the benefits of creativity to help with any problems they’re facing.
100% of sales from each and every cake will be donated to Inkwell and Dial House, two very important and worthy mental health charities within Leeds.
Bakers wishing to contribute to the shop on Sunday should contact Alice as soon as possible on alicewood@live.co.uk or tweet @LEEDSDCS.
Date: Sunday 4th August
Time; 10.30 am to 4 pm
Venue: Leeds Corn Exchange