Something Different

I have been researching and gathering images to use as reference for a really cool groom's cake coming up. Lots of different elements are being included.
I already mentioned achilles and the need for a shield.
Can you guess what this will be?

African Sunset

This is probably my fastest turn around to date. A Baobab Tree set against an African Sunset ordered on Wednesday evening, with delivery later this evening. Another really fun project.
Happy Birthday Stew!

Google This!

How many times have you searched for a photo of a baobab tree on the same day you looked for a Roman gladiator's armor?
Never thought I would ever need those photos but here I am researching for a couple of cakes.
I have visited a variety of sites and webpages, some with success, some just making me mutter. I am not a big fan of thumbprints!
I have a birthday cake tomorrow with the Baobab Tree on it, so I printed a couple of images to give me a reference for sizse and dimension. In a couple of weeks, I have a groom's cake with a wild mix of ideas and themes. Hence the gladiator's armor. Now, if I could just find an image of Achille's shield. Okay, google this!

Happy Weekend

This weekend was a celebration of just about everything. There were two weddings, two birthdays, a graduation and, of course, Father's Day. This calls for something sweet!
My younger sister had a milestone birthday, so I surprised her with a two-tier cake. I sent a cake home with my older sister to her husband in Iowa who was unable to join us. Cookies went off to a graduation party, the weather cooperated for the outdoor wedding on Saturday, and Friday's event was elegant and lovely at Rush Creek Golf Club. Add in some pretty little cameo cakes with edible pansies for another birthday, and the weekend was finished.
Sunday morning was spent on the porch sipping coffee before the birthday lunch at my sister's. Written down is sounds busy, but the overall feeling was relaxed and happy.
Ahhhhhh, life is good.

Red, White, and Blue Birthday

It is an All-American, Patriotic birthday today! I threw in a wooden dance floor, sans sawdust, just for fun.
Happy Red, White and Blue Birthday to the father of one of my brides.

Don't Eat That!

With the list of food sensitivities and allergies growing longer and more involved, planning a menu can be a bit daunting. So what is a bride to do? A couple of ideas might make it a little less stressful:

With very large events, you will never be able to accommodate everyone, so just focus on the most inner circle of family and friends(I often say up to 30 people) and address their dietary needs if something needs to be avoided.

Post a menu. Whether you have menu cards at each place setting or one large, beautifully calligraphied and framed menu in your pre-function area, the ability for guest to see what they will be served is a great way to let them ask questions or make choices about what they can't have.
Nut allergies are the most prevalent and danerous, so if you have any concerns, just eliminate them completely from your event.

And a note to guests, speak up, ask questions, be sure to let the facility know if something is dangerous for you to ingest. Mention it even if you think it unlikely it is present. Forwarned is forearmed.

To all of us attending an event, if something can make you ill or worse, then for goodness sake, don't eat that!

ISES Restaurant Tour

Thursday was the June meeting of ISES(ises-msp.org). We finally had some sun after days of rain, so to have it be the annual ISES Restaurant Tour was as added bonus. 4 groups of 25 were loaded onto buses and sent out to enjoy old favorites and new discoveries. Each group visited 3 out of 6 restaurants with the start and finish at Red Stag Supperclub in NE Minneapolis. Our group visited Jax, The Social Club, and Elsies. No hassle of parking to contend with, just good company, cocktails and a wide variety of excellent nibbles.

I Wanna Be......

I am going to be on TV! KSTP 5's Twin Cities Live is doing a "I wanna be..." segment and this one happens to be a woman, Lyndsey, who wants to be a cake designer. The episode airs tomorrow, but filming has to be done ahead so there's time for editing and tweaking. That gave me time for some preparation.
Friday was the big day for camera and crew so the shop was scrubbed and primped, dusted and rearranged for it's television debut. I was already working on a couple of new cakes, so those were finished and readied for display. All seemed to be well until, of course, the 5 quart mixer decided to blow it's motor that very morning during a batch of mousse. A quick trip for a replacement, a couple of flowers in a vase, some lip gloss, a deep breath and away we went.
Lyndsey did a great job, Melissa and Seth from KSTP were pleased, the cake was lovely.

So, what do you wanna be?