Welcome to a new SweetwaterNOW series, #WHYoming.
We are highlighting people from around our communities and asking them a few questions. We want to learn a little about them and see why they chose this great state to raise their families, start their businesses, or simply to ask — Why Wyoming?
This week I sat down with Roselyn Chavez. Roselyn is a Rock Springs mother who makes some pretty amazing cakes and works two jobs while doing it. She hopes to work her way into making cakes full-time.
How did you end up in Rock Springs?
I was born and raised in Rock Springs. My parents moved here for work around the time they were teenagers. Our family has probably been in the area for around 50 years. My mother was from Missouri and my dad was from Idaho.
.
What is something unique about you?
I make cakes for a charity called Icing Smiles. I came across it one day online. It’s a charity that makes cakes for kids and their siblings that have life threatening illnesses. Families don’t always have time to think about stuff like that when their children are sick.
To my knowledge, I was the first person in Wyoming that volunteered to help, and I think definitely the first in Rock Springs.
I’ve been making cakes for about 5 years. I stopped for a long time to spend more time with family, but I just recently started doing them again.
.
If you are unsure about something, flip a coin. While the coin is in the air, you realize which choice you want to make because you will hope that a specific side comes up.
– Roselyn Chavez
.
What got you started baking and decorating cakes?
I have an art background and did a lot of sculpting in high school. One day I was watching one of those TV shows and thought to myself I think I could do that. So I bought a book and taught myself. It worked well with my art background. I have learned a lot through trial and error.
Fondant, the moldable frosting that is edible, has a very similar consistency to clay so it was super easy for me to mold and shape with my art background.
Outside of my work with Icing Smiles I make and sell cakes for weddings, birthdays and other occasions.
.
Do you have a favorite cake you’ve made?
I made an elephant cake (shown above). It is my favorite cake that I’ve made. The sculpted cakes, in general, are my favorite since they allow me to add more of an artistic touch to a cake.
I taught myself to do everything that you see on all of my cakes.
.
What do you hope to do with your talent?
The goal is to eventually have a storefront and make cakes as a full-time gig.
**If you want to order a cake from Roselyn, you can do so through her Facebook page Not Just Cake.
.
What else do you do besides making cakes?
I have two jobs. I’m a dental assistant for an office here in Rock Springs and I also work for an orthodontist in Green River. I actually have to go to work as soon as I finish this interview tonight.
.
With prep time, baking and doing all the little parts of the cake, it took Roselyn about 29 hours to make the cake shown above.
What do you appreciate most about our community?
That we still have a little bit of a sense of community. When people need help, like in the recent snowstorm, people are willing to help. It’s nice that we still have that.
.
If you could give one brief piece of advice, what would it be?
If you are unsure about something, flip a coin. While the coin is in the air, you realize which choice you want to make because you will hope that a specific side comes up. I think my grandpa used to say that.
.
Where is your favorite place to hang out in Sweetwater County?
I am a big mountain biker so I spend a lot of time at the bike park in Green River.
.
Would you rather walk, ride a bike, take a horse or drive a car?
Definitely a bike.
.
What would you sing at karaoke night?
“I Want to Know What Love Is” by Foreigner.
.
How would your friends describe you?
Kinda sarcastic. Random.
.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
My kids. I have three kids, an 18-year old who just started college, an 11-year-old and a 10-year-old.
.
Who would you want to play you in a movie about your life?
Rachel McAdams.
.
Why do you continue to live in Wyoming?
It’s a good place to raise kids. You don’t really have to worry about too much. There are a lot of outdoor things to do. I was also born and raised here, so I am kind of a “lifer.”
.
If you’d like us to interview yourself or someone you know for #WHYoming, please send us suggestions to abe@sweetwaternow.com
