In the Pink

Today was all about pink. Pink as in Breast Cancer Awareness. Pink as in Love Is a Cure, Twin City Bridal Association's Brunch and Auction held this morning at the Minneapolis Convention Center. This auction is a yearly event benefitting Open Arms of Minnesota, a company which provides meals to women and their families dealing with breast cancer. Open Arms provides 100% organic, freshly prepared meals that have been designed to nurture and nourish.

Wedding vendors donate products and services for both silent and live auction, brides and their families recieve a tax deduction on all money spent, and Open Arms receives all of the proceeds. Everybody wins. This is my fourth year participating, and frankly, my favorite TCBA event.

The event is all in shades of pink, from the volunteers helping to set up the pink draped tables to the beautiful tulip centerpieces provided by Bastian*Skoog. Lovely harbingers of spring and hope. What a beautiful way to open our arms and offer a hlping hand.

Shame On Me

So much is going on and I haven't written one word about it. Shame on me. No excuses, just didn't sit down to write. The first half of my winter quarter is over, photo shoots are looming, Love is a Cure is this Sunday and Duel of the Design is just days away. Not to forget the two events I attended this week.

Tuesday evening was the Association of Bridal Consultants which met at the Crowne Plaza St. Paul on Kellogg. Our meeting was held in Windows on Minnesota(formerly the Carousel). I met some new people there and ran into them again on Wednesday when Epic Event Center held it's open house.
Both events were informative and it's always nice to spend time with friends both new and old. Jason Thon of Staja Studios and Natalie and Brian Durk of Dick and Jane Letterpress were some new friends made.
Old friends included the ladies from Chowgirls as well as Jean from Violets, Summer from Summer Harsh Botanical Artistry and Alice-Lynne from The Late Bloomer. I chatted a bit with The Wedding Guys and Geri from The Style Laboratory.

I haven't even mentioned the food! Never shy, I made two rounds for savories and another round just for desserts last night.
Yum is all I can say. I tried everything.

2009 Brides Choice Award

Fun news greeted me when I checked my emails yesterday! I have been awarded the 2009 Bride's Choice Award from Wedding Wire.
I have been on Wedding Wire for quite some time now. It is a wedding resource site which allows brides to see vendor reviews from past clients and make educated choices about who they might use for their own event. Vendors can also follow up on leads from brides requesting information about pricing, availability and services offered.
The award is based completely on reviews and opinions from brides I have worked with, so I say a heartfelt thank you to all who helped me achieve this award.

The Next Generation

Besides my fun job creating cakes for weddings and any other celebration we can think of(there's always a reason to eat cake), I am also a chef instructor at a culinary school. Three days a week for five weeks each quarter, I share my experience and ideas with the next generation of pastry chefs, bakers and cake decorators. All that new energy and enthusiasm.
Aren't those all the same thing you ask? Not really. Every industry has it's own vocabulary and sub sects within the general category. I know I have generalized other industries, so here is my contribution to culinary clarity:
The culinary world breaks down first into savory or sweet-definite personality differences here. Just put them in the same room together and listen to them talk. Then the sweet side breaks down even further. Bakers and Pastry Chefs have very different traits. Think bread(really good bread, artisan bread, not grocery store sliced bread). Then think of those amazing plated desserts with intricate garnishes of sugar, chocolate or whisper thin cookies. Completely separate disciplines and patience requirements.
I, myself, have the patience to sit making gumpaste flowers or pipe designs for hours, but would rather just eat my bread instead of making it. No patience in that whole waiting for the yeast to rise thing! Now ask a baker to pipe cornelli lace on a cake. Do you hear the screaming?
Cake decorators/designers are sometimes most focused on the outside of a cake. I am originally a pastry chef by training and career path and have tried to combine the best of both worlds for my cake company. I love to eat, so flavor combinations have always been my thing.
What will the next generation bring to the world? Can't wait to see.

I Saw It!

In a past bolg, I talked about the cake I did for the Shriner's Children's Hospital back in December. The party was a great event with a Breakfast with Santa the next morning. Judy had worked very hard to make both events memorable to the staff and their families, and in a recent chat, she shared what a great hit Santa was. There were several cute stories. How could there be anything else when you mix Santa and kids?

Here's my favorite.

Ninety kids and their families got to meet with Santa, sit on his lap and have a great meal. At the end of the event, a little boy, maybe 3, was walking out with his grandfather. He stopped, turned around and stared and stared and stared into Santa's eyes. Santa looked back, waiting, but not quite sure what was expected of him.

After some minutes of looking intently at Santa, the little boy looked up at his grandfather and said, " I saw it!"

The grandfather, a bit mystified, asked. "You saw what?".

The boy replied, " I saw the twinkle."

The Wedding Fair

Sunday was Twin City Bridal Association's January Wedding Fair. Hundreds of vendors display their best ideas, designs and concepts. I was there with my new cupcakes and three of my more colorful cakes.

I have to thank Ryan Hanson of BeEvents for the great job he did on my booth. It wouldn't have been as gorgeous without his design. And another thank you for my cakes being included in more than one newscast.

The Wedding Fair allows me to reach a large group of brides with my new designs, but also where I can meet new vendors and reconnect with established vendors I might not have seen for a while. It is a great time to catch up and say hello.

One of those vendors is Summer Harsh. Recently of Stems and Vines, she has just launched her own floral company: Summer Harsh Botanical Artistry. She is hugely talented and will surely be successful in her new venture. Her work is amazing.
The day is busy and flies by. I appreciate the day after to put my feet up and recover a bit.

Now it's all about appointments and planning with the brides I met. An exciting time full of promise and expectation.

The 2009 season has officially started!

Color, Trends and Inspiration

There are always questions about trends. Trends in fashion, trends in design, trends in cakes. It is all a trickle down effect from Red Carpet fashions to home decor colors, to wedding gown embellishments, to wedding cake design. So many things to inspire, influence and spark creativity.

Here in the Twin Cities, what I have noticed most in the last year or so, is that the all white wedding cake is now sharing the spotlight with colorful, whimsical, non-traditional creations. The insides too have included less white cake with white frosting, and more chocolate cake and other more exotic combinations, to offer a very memorable "first seen, last eaten" part of this special day.

The Wedding Guys(Matthew Trettel and Bruce Vasser) are on Fox 9's Morning Show this morning to talk about wedding cakes. They asked if I could provide some cakes for this morning's segment.Of course I said yes and sent off 4 cakes that show what has influenced me lately: a footstool created from Kasmir shawls, the movie Marie Antoinette, a gorgeous wedding gown with beautiful stiching, a shoji screen from a sushi restaurant. Hopefully they will get at least a camera span.

A recent cake that illustrated this non-traditional color and flavor trend went to Katrina of Studio Laguna for her Christmas celebration. Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting all wrapped up in the most elegant, rich blues with white accents. Cool colors to complement this chilly(okay, downright frigid!) season.

Be inspired, and create your perfect day.