Chelsea MacPhail is in the business of making memories sweet.
Since opening Chelsea’s Custom Cakes, MacPhail has spent countless hours piping buttercream and shaping fondant.
It’s donating angel cakes to grieving families, though, that she’s most proud of.
“It’s hard to think about being in a position where you have a birthday for a child that is no longer here,” says MacPhail.
“Gifting them a cake how they want it, how they think their child would have wanted it and seeing them smile is such an important thing to me.”
Nominators Jenna Wallace and Sarah Courneys say MacPhail’s commitment to helping local families goes beyond the kitchen. She’s contributed both time and funds to health organizations and programs, addictions groups and women’s shelters.
When one of her children was diagnosed with celiac disease, MacPhail was determined to improve lives impacted by it. She converted her home kitchen to a gluten-free work area and reserved the commercial kitchen for other work.
“Chelsea worked and worked to improve upon her home-based business and grow it…. Her determination to improve upon things rather than wallow constantly amazes me,” says Courneys.
“Being a one-woman show is a testament to how big her heart really is,” says Wallace.