‘No free cake’: Vancouver bakery owner calls out NBA star’s family over collaboration request, asks how an NBA legend can't afford a birthday cake for his kid

Vancouver bakery says no to NBA legend's free cake collaboration idea. A Vancouver bakery owner has refused to give away a custom birthday cake for free after receiving a request from an assistant representing former NBA star Metta Sandiford-Artest’s family, saying that social-media publicity does not cover the costs of running a small business.Fanny Lam, owner of Oh Sweet Day! Bake Shop, said she was approached by an individual identifying themselves as an assistant to Sandiford-Artest and his wife, Maya. The request was for a custom cake for their son’s birthday celebration in Richmond, British Columbia.'We felt particularly frustrated because of the imbalance'The proposed arrangement was a familiar one in the age of influencer marketing: the bakery would provide the cake at no cost, while the family would promote the business through social media posts and Instagram stories.Lam, however, was not convinced that the exposure was worth the price of the cake.The custom order could have cost around C$200 to C$300, depending on its size and design. For a small bakery, Lam said, that represents real costs in ingredients, labour and preparation time.“We felt particularly frustrated beca...