When cookies win 8,000 likes over night – Take a look at the sweet empire, Art & Honey (PHOTO)

This is wonderful! I have not even dreamed of this looking so nice. It is much more beautiful when you see it than on photos. Thank you so much for making our daughter’s birthday more beautiful! When you hear some of these customers’ appraisals, Natasa Belic is happy.

Her cookies became very popular with the fans of cookies in Serbia but the "Art & Honey" candies soon found its fans in America, Australia, Great Britain and UAE, Argentina, India, Mexico.

- A year and a half ago, I accidentally discovered a parallel word on the Internet, decorating cookies and I was delighted with those small artistic pieces and wanted to try to do it myself. I somehow managed to do so at my first attempt. As of that moment, I have been decorating and fantasying – Natasa Belic starts her story. She is an engineer of architecture, but her working experience was mostly related to insurance.

Our collocutor explains she was not one of those who must eat something sweet after lunch and since she had managerial job, she had a long working hours so she did not have plenty of time for cooking. However, now she does everything on her own.

Natasa Belic (Photo: Lična arhiva)

The collocutor of eKapija explains that cookies she makes most of her time are basically a domestic cookie with butter, i.e. as she says, it is not a philosophy – powder, sugar, eggs,…

Art & Honey uses domestic basic ingredients; however, for decoration she needs colors which, as her colleagues-decorators from abroad, Natasa Belic supplies abroad, something from America, England, Germany, and Italy…

- Whenever our friends travel somewhere, they have a “minor” commitment to bring something, at least cookie model…

We cannot leave out the question of techniques of decorating cookies since they seem to be more for decoration than eating.

- Since techniques are taken over from foreign colleagues, names are in English as well.

Unforgettable present

Buyers mostly ask for cookies for weeding, as a present, for kids’ birthdays, anniversaries, etc.

- They are mostly bought as presents but in most of the cases these are hearts decorated in a number of ways. It makes me really happy because my cookies always go with some nice feelings, they express love and joy and it is really a huge satisfaction for me – Belic points out.

Apart from some standard forms and decorations, Natasa Belic makes cakes upon customers’ request.

- I found it the most interesting when I had a request to make a cookie in a form of a prehistoric animal, a kind of a dinosaurs. It was a gift for a child who adores that kind of an animal. I expected it was a boy but it turned out to be a girl and it cheered me up. Later, I found out cookies provoked overall thrill and this is what inspires me most when it comes to this job – our collocutor is not hiding satisfaction.

Companies are also interested in cookies because they want to give cookies with its logo or some holiday motifs to their clients.

- I make cookies today only upon order. As all artistic craftsmanship, you cannot produce a lot if you do everything manually. The production set up in Serbia itself is very complicated in Serbia and I overcome it in cooperation with a known, pastry shop. While in America, for example, it is a common thing, such as "home business" and many housewives in a simple way produce cookies and deliver to customers or sales chains.

These cookies are called "decorated cookies" in the world, but you can find this artistic movement under the name "cookie art" because this is an art in a way - Belic says and ads that this is how her fans say.

Cookie fans worldwide

Belic explains that two months after she started working she opened Facebook profile and started publishing photos of her creations.

Last spring, Natasa Belic participated at the competition organized one of the most popular world "cookie decorator" Amber Spiegeland entered into finals. Then she became a member of the world site "Cookie connection" and during the entire last year, her cookie, "Paisley flower" was the cookie with the biggest number of likes. Now, Art & Honey red hearts are in the cookie of the week category.

(Paisley flower)

- Not only did I met her but other cookers met me as well. And then, one day, the most famous cookie decorator in the world "SugarBelle`s" shared my page and praised my work. I now get not only offers from abroad but many people want me to train them.

A couple of times, she took part in at the Mixer design food festival in Mixer House, as well as in Bazar in the American Embassy which is a closed type festival.

We should not forget the price either. Natasa Belic says that the price of cookies first of depends on complexity of design and it starts from RSD 120 per piece.

Her favorite cookie is with the orange taste and when it comes to decoration, she says she prefers abstract ones.

The name “Art & Honey" somehow imposed itself since in the Belic family there is always quality honey.

- My husband has been enjoying his hobby, apiculture, for years so honey is a part of our everyday life. I am in charge of art, to see it, love it, create it…And that is a mix which makes our life.

Suzana Obradovic