Crista Hecht Photography

Shantel King, 30, is a cake decorator at Rosie’s Bakery Distribution Center in Brighton, Mass. She started working at the bakery 11 years ago, where she learned how to frost a cake. Now, an assistant to the bakery manager, she handles the orders and shipping for five Rosie’s Bakery locations in Boston, as well as supervises the workers. King makes between 200 and 300 cakes every day, starting at 6:30 a.m. and finishing at 5 p.m. on long days. According to King, her motivation to make people happy through her cake decorating skills has made her job exciting. On September 15, 2008, King had to work all day with the recent news that her grandmother is dying. Shortly after King finished the cake orders for the day, she visited her grandmother in a nursing home, where her family was making arrangements.

September 15, 2008 - Shantel King, 30, a cake decorator at Rosie's Bakery Distribution Center in Brighton, Mass., talks with Courtney Rumasuglia, a coworker, while frosting cakes. King has worked at the bakery for 11 years and makes over 200 cakes every day, which are distributed to five Rosie's Bakery locations in the Boston area. Photo by Crista Hecht.

September 15, 2008 - Shantel King, 30, a cake decorator at Rosie's Bakery Distribution Center in Brighton, Mass., pipes "Happy Birthday" onto a cake. King has worked at the bakery for 11 years and makes over 200 cakes every day, which are distributed to five Rosie's Bakery locations in the Boston area. Photo by Crista Hecht.

September 15, 2008 - Shantel King, 30, a cake decorator at Rosie's Bakery Distribution Center in Brighton, Mass., places the last cake on the racks to be boxed and shipped. As an assistant to the bakery manager, King has the responsibility of making sure the cakes are presentable and are shipped to the correct locations. Photo by Crista Hecht.

September 15, 2008 - Shantel King, 30, a cake decorator at Rosie's Bakery Distribution Center in Brighton, Mass., reacts to a phone call while taking a short break in the bakery storage room. Before arriving at work, King was informed that her grandmother was dying, so family members called King throughout the day to make arrangements. She left work early to visit her grandmother at a nursing home, saying, "It's going to be different going in there and not having my grandma know who I am for the first time. She's slipping away. You can tell she's not going to be here much longer." Photo by Crista Hecht.

September 15, 2008 - Shantel King, 30, a cake decorator at Rosie's Bakery Distribution Center in Brighton, Mass., cleans up after decorating cakes. "By the end of the day, I'm literally tired, emotionally tired and exhausted. Especially on a long day when your arms are constantly moving and you're on your feet all day," King says. Photo by Crista Hecht.