Life is better with cake. Especially when said cake is a Big Fish creation under the talented touch of chef Gabby Cote. These are the cakes that make an appearance at a celebration, inspiring everyone to grab a photo before grabbing a bite. She and her sweetheart (cookbook author and edible MAINE photographer Derek Bissonnette) recently renovated a shared studio space in the Saco mills where they spend the days creating—alongside their two French bulldogs, which always prove a hilarious distraction. Editor-in-chief Maggie Knowles sat down with Chef Gabby about where she came from, where she is going, and the surprise from her past that was a goosebump moment proving she was on the right pastry path.
In edible MAINE’s Fall 2019 issue, you shared that your dream was to own your own cake shop… and to also “quit your job and get a dog.” Now you have your own business and TWO dogs. How does your 2023 self feel about what you’ve manifested since then?
It’s pretty wild and extremely rewarding to see where I am now—the transition from a career in professional kitchens to the build-out of the studio. But what’s most exciting is I feel like I’ve only touched the surface of what I can do with cake. So, it’s absolutely a full circle, but it’s like the beginning, too. I love that feeling.
Your new studio space that you share with your partner and food photographer, Derek Bissonnette, straddles the Biddeford/Saco line. What is it like being a part of this community that’s at the forefront of a lot of Maine’s small, food-inspired businesses?
It feels like we are part of something so special. What I love about the community is that it is not competitive. It’s really like working together and
complementing each other. As a new business owner, I wasn’t intimidated at all. I was driven by, “What does this community need? How can I help celebrate and be part of it?” It’s been a really fun journey of starting that here.
Where did the name Big Fish come from?
Big Fish is the term that I have called my mentors throughout my life and career. Every little girl looks up to somebody, and in 2019, I lost two of my biggest mentors within six months of each other. I often think that I wouldn’t have taken the leap of going out on my own if it wasn’t for such a tragic loss. It really just motivates me that much more since they’re not here.
After you opened Big Fish Cake Studio, you learned someone in your family tree also owned a bakery.
Once I started talking about having this pastry career path, I actually found out that my great-grandmother had a cake shop called Marie Anne’s Flour Shop and my aunts worked there. Knowing that my great-grandmother had this place and I still found this path is so special. She’s a big fish that led me here.
You have some clever cake combos and names—how much R&D do you spend before knowing you have found a winner?
Most of my inspiration still comes from my plated desserts that I had created,
recipes that I developed from when I was a pastry chef working in professional kitchens. I still have many, many of my printed menus and piles and piles of handwritten recipes.
What flavor are you most in love with right now?
I have a cake flavor that I would eat in the morning, especially with coffee, and that I would eat after dinner. My favorite right now is Mr. Nice Pie. I make this spice mixture called Spice Girl Mix; it’s a homemade chai blend. It’s just super light, but it has that depth from adding the spices and the tartness of adding seasonal fruit.
You create cakes for people’s most cherished events—how much do you get to know them before creating their cakes?
I particularly like to meet with just the couple. I want the groom there! I always ask them, “Who are you as a dessert person?” When I ask that question, they might say Sour Patch Kids or Snickers bars. What it tells me is: How sweet do they like their food? How much texture do they need? Do they need a touch of salt? It really helps me create their custom flavor and really sets the bar for what we’re going to create together.
Is it still a tradition for a couple to save the top of their cake for their one-year anniversary?
It absolutely still is a tradition. We offer three options in that aspect. The first option, of course, you can save your top tier. The second option is I will give you a prepackaged frozen tier. But typically, I don’t like that option so much because I personally don’t like to eat frozen cake. The third option is you reach back out
to me and we do anniversary cakes for you, baking you a fresh mini version of your cake flavor to enjoy on your anniversary,
What advice would you give a home baker to help elevate their cake game?
I would start with cupcakes. What you’re doing is learning the temperaments of your buttercream. You’re going to figure out your environment; you’re going to figure out how fast you work, how big of a mess you make, things like that; and every day you go back to make another dozen cupcakes. Ask, “How can I do it better?” Once you can master and figure out who you are holding a piping bag, it can only go up from there.
What does the upcoming year have in store for you?
Derek’s publishers reached out to me to do a cupcake book, and I was like, “OK, this is my livelihood. I can do this.” And they’re like, “Great, and you need to photograph it as well.” And I was like, “What? I don’t know how to take photos.” So, Derek actually is teaching me food photography, and I’ll be photographing the entire book as well as writing it. It should be out hopefully next year, in 2024.
The conversation has been edited for length and flow.
Listen to The Maine Course podcast episode for the full
conversation with chef Gabby Cote of Big Fish Cake Studio!
