Moving with the times

A household name and firm favorite in and around Ghent: Julie's house. The place to be for the most delicious cakes and cupcakes. She started her business ten years ago in a prime location in the historical heart of Ghent.

Julie's style

Julie makes unconventional patisserie, although she was traditionally trained. How did she get into that? "Ten years ago, cupcakes were completely a hype. The American or English look of patisserie appealed to me more than the traditional did. There's more freedom to develop my style and I enjoy it! To be honest, I'm not patient enough for the traditional approach with a lot of glaze or glitter. I prefer simple cakes which have to be delicious. It all comes down to the flavor."

Julie believes in balance and being healthy; and most importantly, there has to a balance, even in a cake. At Julie's house, they use honest and pure products, preferably without preservatives or food colorings. If a customer wants a pink cupcake, they will, of course, make one!

Moving with the times

In the beginning, it was often said that cupcakes and American pastry were a hype that wouldn't last long. But that was ten years ago now! Julie continued: "I often asked myself what is working and what is not. What does the customer want? Be open to trends without losing your style."

To survive, you have to go along with trends. What if a customer asks for banana bread? We'll react to that. We also make gluten-, lactose-, and egg-free cakes, even vegan patisserie. There is a high demand for that.

Looking to the future

For Julie, the success, of course, means that the business has to be financially sound and bring profit. But on top of that is the passion for what she is doing. "That might be cliche, but it's true." Success is also growing, surrounding herself with a good team.

Will Julie's House expand any further? "I don't know. For now, I'm enjoying what we achieved last year: the make-over of a shop with doubling capacity and the relocation of another one. I want to relax a bit and make sure that everything is on the right track. Expanding to the new cities isn't something I am considering right now. I've never really wanted to do that, either. But never say never.", said Julie.