New Hampshire Magazine's Bride Spring-Summer 2023 - 44

The Confection Creator
Q A&
with cake artist Jaime Melfi
It's based in the small North Country town of Jackson,
but Autumn Nomad's reputation for cake artistry has
spread worldwide-and that's just after six years in
business. The company's owner and cake artist-Jaime
Melfi-is the reason why. Bringing years of knowledge
on food styling, floral design and a background in
baking and fine arts to the table, she leads her team in
creating custom-designed, artistic, out-of-the box cake
designs and desserts. From crumb to creation, their
goal is that each couple has their own one-of-a-kind
edible art as the centerpiece for their special day.
" I personally think couples should reach out to
their desired baker as soon as they pick a date,
book a venue and have a guest count. "
Q: What inspires your
creative process?
A: Nature, art, traveling and food
have always been my biggest
inspirations. From a young age, the
world was always very intriguing to
me. We're all inspired by each other,
in some sort of way, and then we
create a piece of art in some sort of
way. Whether it's a composed dish,
cocktail, an oil painting or a piece
of pottery, art is universal. It's so
interesting seeing styles develop over
the years as other artists create their
own spin, and then continue to inspire
others to make art of their own.
It's exciting for me when I have the
opportunity to spend enough time in
another part of the country or world
that it feels like I live there. With work,
I don't get to do that too often anymore,
but I then watch a lot of travel
42 | New Hampshire Magazine's BRIDE
and food shows where I can learn
more about different cultures. I love
bringing those elements of the world
into my cooking or cake designs.
Q: Describe your baking and
A: Bohemian, artistic
confectionery aesthetic.
and eclectic.
Q: When should couples start
A: Planning a wedding is a really
thinking about their cake?
exciting time. I personally think
couples should reach out to their
desired baker as soon as they pick a
date, book a venue and have a guest
count. We can't take on an event
without that information. From there,
I would recommend trying to develop
the order they want, whether it be
desserts or a cake, or a combination.
That way your baker has an idea of the
size of your order, and you have an idea
of your budget with that vendor. However,
I do think sometimes if our clients
are not naturally decisive, I wouldn't
suggest picking something too far out.
Six months before is usually when most
things are totally picked out in terms
of the full event. I've had clients spend
a lot of time picking out things for their
weddings very far out and then have to
make huge changes.
Q:
Q:
Is there a particular cake trend
that you are loving right now or
a particular style of cake that you love
creating?
A: I love the look of potteryinspired
cakes. Very natural, lots
of texture, artistic and finished with
dried florals. A lot of cake artists are
using actual clay tools to manipulate
the fondant.
What wedding cake flavors do
you recommend?
A: When choosing a cake flavor, I
recommend to my couples that
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Courtney Elizabeth Media, Emily Delameter Photography,
and Lindsay Hackney Photography
New Hampshire Magazine's Bride Spring-Summer 2023

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