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There’s only one thing better than the pride Lina Vuleta of Waseca puts into her work. Her creations taste even better than they look.
Owner/operator of the State Street Bistro, Vuleta caters delicious meals for weddings and parties. Her busy schedule reflects demand for her reason- ably priced, gourmet dinners. As good as the meals are, State Street Bistro can be said to save the best for last.
Ah, the cake. An expert baker and culinary artist, Vuleta works with her husband, Predrag, to prepare cakes and pastries that are mouth- watering works of art. She develops recipes, bakes and he decorates. Together, they create tasty sculptures that have earned them a shining reputation.
The success the Waseca business enjoys today came through determination and long hours. Vuleta admits that she’s learned a lot about baking and decorating cakes since she opened the State Street Bistro more than five years ago.
Vuleta is a native Croatian and Predrag is from Bosnia. It’s been 11 hears since they moved with their two daugh- ters to Waseca from their home in Germany.
“I’ve always been a good cook, but the only formal training I’ve taken was to be a hairdresser,” Vuleta shared.
Trial and error
Completely self taught, Lina and Predrag worked for 48 consecutive hours to initiate their method of making wed- ding cakes.
“We had a computer and some books,” Vuleta said. “We kept trying different things until we were happy with it.”
Vuleta says she spent the first two years in business learning and proving herself as a baker, caterer and business owner. Now well-established with a full calendar, she works an occasional eight-hour day, but most of her days are 12-16 hours long. She bakes from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and works most weekends.
“I grew up with this business, and now I know what I’m doing,” she said.
Today, most of Vuleta’s trials end in anything but error. She spends part of each day figuring out new tastes, textures and flavor combinations for her own unique recipes.
“I don’t try to save money on ingredients,” she said. “Everything I use is real and everything is from scratch. If I make an orange-flavored cake, the taste comes from real oranges.” Vuleta develops specially flavored cakes for brides, and offers a tasting session once she has perfected it to make sure the bride will be happy. Like any artist, she enjoys seeing how beautiful the cakes become when Predrag completes the decorating.
“He has golden hands,” Vuleta says of her husband’s cake decorating skills.
Two years ago, the Waseca couple agreed to make a three- foot cake replica of the Capital Building to celebrate Minnesota’s 150 years of statehood. It went on display in front of the State House of Representatives Chambers before being devoured by lawmakers.
“We were very proud of that cake, and prouder yet to be the ones asked to make it,” she said. That cake, along with many other samples, can be viewed by visiting www.bistrocakes.com.
Vuleta says she loves her work. But even more, she enjoys making her customers happy.
“There are lots of things I like about my job,” Vuleta said. “But when we deliver a wedding cake and I get to watch the bride’s face when she sees it for the first time,that’s when I am really happy about what I do.”