‘Edible artist’ expands classes to Sioux Falls

A customer once used Stacie Suedkamp’s baking and decorating skills to announce her sixth pregnancy, but one of her sisters balked. She told her sister the cookies were too pretty to eat.

“Don’t worry,” she was assured. “Just take the first bite and you’ll finish the rest.”

Suedkamp considers that the highest praise possible.

“The best compliment is not how pretty they are but how good they taste,” the Flandreau cookie-maker said. “I make sure the flavor and everything is spot on first, and the fact they look beautiful is just a bonus.”

After operating a coffee shop for more than two years, Suedkamp started Fig Tales three years ago. She describes herself as a “baker and mingler” who makes edible art for all occasions. When she closed her coffee shop, she sold the liquor license to a Flandreau grocery store. In return, the store created a small commercial kitchen where Suedkamp could bake.

The one thing she doesn’t do is keep her skills to herself. Suedkamp is offering a series of classes over the next couple of weeks to give others a chance to learn the skill of decorating sugar cookies. Students in the cookie class receive royal icing and the cookie recipe. Under Suedkamp’s guidance, they will learn the best ways to decorate sugar cookies, she said.

Holiday cookie classes at the Downtown Hilton Garden Inn, 201 E. Eighth St., will be Oct. 16 and Nov. 13. This Sunday’s classes feature Halloween decorations, with autumn and Thanksgiving decorations on Nov. 13. Classes are at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Suedkamp also has paired with Buffalo Ridge Brewing in Hartford for two classes Nov. 6 with autumn and Thanksgiving cookies. Tickets remain for the 5:30 p.m. session.

Those who sign up for the classes should be prepared to learn everything Suedkamp knows about cookie decorating — and to have a good time while doing it.

“I tell every class there are no secrets. Everything is online anyway, so I’ll tell you anything you want to know,” she said. “I share a bunch of tips.”

At a class earlier this week, Suedkamp told stories about the limitations her father put on the family jack-o’-lanterns. He allowed only simple circles, squares and triangles. She doesn’t put any such limits on her decorated cookies, and she encourages her students to experiment.

“It’s a chance to try something new, and at the end if it doesn’t look like what you thought, it’s a cookie, and you get to eat it,” Suedkamp said.

Suedkamp recommends the classes for those 12 and older. Those 18 and younger must be accompanied by an adult. ”I tend to use colorful language, so keep that in mind,” Suedkamp warns on her website.

Cost for the classes is $65 plus tax. Students will decorate six cookies. Take-home kits also are available. Register for classes at figtales.com/classes. 

Classes for Christmas holiday cookies will be offered Dec. 11 at the Downtown Hilton Garden Inn, but tickets are not yet available.