In this episode of The Perfect Rise, host Chef Kimberly Houston sits down with Tracy Quisenberry, founder of Icing Smiles, a nonprofit organization connecting volunteer bakers with families who have children facing critical illness. What began as a simple act of love—a homemade cake for her son—has grown into a nationwide movement fueled by generosity, purpose, and faith.
Tracy’s journey didn’t start in the kitchen. Before founding Icing Smiles, she worked in the corporate world as a tax professional. But after her two children were born prematurely, she experienced firsthand the uncertainty and exhaustion many medical parents know too well. As she shared on the podcast, “I was a tax professional that picked up cake decorating as a hobby and had a heart for service.”
That combination of skill and compassion became the foundation of Icing Smiles. The organization now includes more than 14,000 volunteer bakers, affectionately known as Sugar Angels, who create custom “dream cakes” for children and their siblings. Each cake is designed to give families a moment of normalcy in the midst of medical challenges.
“The families that we serve have had so much taken from them,” Tracy explained. “The kids have had a normal childhood experience taken from them. The parents are living in constant fear and stress… and what Icing Smiles does is provide that sense of normalcy.”
Throughout the conversation, Kimberly and Tracy explore how creativity can become a form of healing—for both the families who receive the cakes and the artists who make them. They also talk about faith, burnout, and the delicate balance between passion and profession that so many in the baking industry understand.
When asked what she’s most grateful for in this season of leadership, Tracy didn’t hesitate: “This volunteer team at Icing Smiles just renews my faith in humanity… I may have filed the paperwork to get this organization started, but we go nowhere without our volunteers.”
From NICU nights to nonprofit leadership, Tracy’s story is a reminder that purpose often rises from unexpected places—and that sometimes, the smallest acts of kindness can leave the sweetest legacy.
🎧 Listen to the full episode: The Perfect Rise Podcast — “Icing Smiles: Delivering Joy One Cake at a Time”
🔗 [Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms]
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