Our Story
In the beginning…
It all started with a wonderfully sticky moment. Raw, childish, but chock full of love. Christine’s 4th birthday cake made a life long impression.
When Christine got the chance to recreate that feeling for her own children, her first attempts were truly awful. Following the shame of hearing “Thanks for trying mum” from a 5 year old, Christine enrolled in her first cake class. Over the next 10 years with practice and training the cakes got tidier and more tailored, but were no less full of the same desire to engender that same ridiculously joy filled memory for each recipient.
During a patch of life that required more income than was in hand, Christine decided to take the plunge and start a baking business with cookies, muffins and tray bakes to sell at local fairs, markets, and occasionally from her front doorstep.
Her fledgeling startup gathered momentum. Much to her surprise she won the 2014 Cake & Bake Show Professional competition, and then won best in category at Cake International in 2015. It seemed evident that there was skill to put to work, and the potential of a genuine business to grow.
Growing up…
With an appetite for business knowledge, a year enrolled in college to master patisserie and confectionery, a rebrand, and a hunger to earn her keep following the loss of a job, Peboryon was born. It means baker in Cornish which reflects their passion for great tasting as well as great looking cakes. In 2015 husband Phil added his experience and efforts to the task of growing the business to become a national brand, offering twelve months to help support Christine on the journey... He still hasn’t left. They make quite a team. With backgrounds in the health service, design, and a love of people, they dovetail their various skills to make and share the joy of cake!
A new cake adventure…
As the business‘s reputation for great cake grew, in late 2016 they were asked to film with Julie Walters for her Coastal Railway program where they showcased their innovative use of the railways to supply London’s cake needs.
It was around that time they were invited to be a key part of Channel 4’s Extreme Cake Makers show. After a tentative ‘yes' to the first series, they have now featured in all 4 series of the award winning show. The Channel 4 focus is often on the more unusual sculptural commissions that are designed and created in their kitchen. Day to day though, this craftsmanship is sought out for traditional and unusual as both flavour and design flair is enjoyed by by private and corporate clients across the UK and internationally, (with occasional kosher commissions undertaken in London).
The desire to celebrate people well is the fuel behind Christine & Phil's passion. "Life is short’ they say. "Best love well".
A growing team
Given the challenges of the past extraordinary year, we've strengthened our team by collaborating with cake maker and designer Claire Potts. Claire has been a full time, professional cake creator for over eight years, and has a several awards to her name. Over the years we've often referred clients to her when we have been unable to deliver. Having the freedom to work together as a larger team enables us to cover any arising matters of illness, enforced isolation, and deliver at the capacity and complexity this year demands without letting any of our clients down. Her studio is in beautiful Clovelly, where she creates her signature sugar and wafer paper flowers. We’re delighted to be able to rely on each other for the road ahead.