It is with great pleasure that I announce the start of my Gum Paste Floral series classes. These classes are split up into a modular format allowing students to learn and perfect their gum paste flower making skills. The first module will be focusing on “The Rose”. To find out more information on this class please click on the link below.

Click here for more information on the Rose Class

Check this out people …..sounds awesome !!!!
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I can scarcely believe it but it is just a few days away!!!!!! To be precise it is just 4 days away and yes! I am referring to my Food Network debut coming up this Sunday at 7pm Houston time (8:00 PM ET/PT). I clearly recall receiving “the call” from one of the casting directors, I was driving along interstate 610 when it came through and at first I thought it was a prank and then suddenly realized it was for real. Needless to say it was the good grace of God that saved me from letting all that excitement result in a car wreck. Later that night a few friends and I had already planned to go country west dancing (yay!!! for Wild West) and lets just say that we brought it!!!! Pictures of that night are floating around somewhere in cyberspace to corroborate this. Thanks Rachel B., Sarah K. Robyn E., and the Copeland twins for making that night a very memorable one.

 

Well that was just the start of a very exhilarating roller coaster ride. The next thing I needed to do was get an audition video ready and get this, I had 24 hours to put this together. What to do?  I hadn’t the slightest clue. Thankfully you all stepped up as always and made the audition video happen. After sending out a “few” emails, I was flooded with contacts and referrals that made me realize how blessed I am to have such awesome friends. I worked with Mark Ramos of Markramos designs and he did an amazing job especially with the time constraint we were working with. Thanks so much Mark. Let me just say that I met Mark a year ago after crashing his Halloween party in my Lenny Kravitz get up, it was one of those nights where we figured we would go to as many parties as possible (awesome plan Steph) and I figured I was just too cool looking with all that hair to let it all waste, besides if I crashed as many parties as possible no one would recognize me the following day …the hair and glasses would be the perfect disguise. Anyway for those of you who have not seen my audition video, voilà !!!!

 

 

I was able to get the audition video in just in time, and was eventually cast to participate in the Romance Novel challenge. Awesome!!!! But since I was not really familiar with that particular genre I once again turned to my female friends for help. I am going to have to stop at this point mainly because the rules of the show won’t allow me give you any further details until after the show airs….besides if I did, that would ruin the show for you all. But I will say that I had the best assistant ever (Go Tiff!!!! You rock!!!!) I call Tiff my very first American friend, met her on my very first day at culinary school, we happened to be in the same dorm and same class, we hit it off and have been great buddies, partners and team mates since then. I knew that Tiff would be the perfect assistant I could totally rely on her. So I called her up, keeping my fingers crossed in the hope that she would be able to take the time off work. It all worked out, Tiff was able to get the time off and was so generous that she actually came down to Houston from NYC for a practice run and made another trip to Colorado for the actual taping. Thank you so much Tiff.

 

I hope you all can tune in this Sunday to watch the show. This will be the US premiere, for my friends in other parts of world please check your local listing and show times, there may be some variance as to which season of the show is being aired in different parts of the world. Again the show is called “Food Network Challenge” and the theme for the episode is “Romance Novels”. Here is the official description of the show and a link to the US listing.

“Love, lust…and fondant. In this ribald Challenge, Four top cake decorators must reveal their passionate side by constructing the cover of their very own original Romance Novel out of cake. The tale that best sends hearts aflutter will win a ten-thousand dollar prize. And that’s a very happy ending for one lucky cake artist.”

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food-network-challenge/romance-novel-cakes/index.html

To my dear readers/ followers, I am so sorry that this particular post scarcely pays any homage to actual cake decorating, however, it does chronicle the first part of a cake that was very important to me. In my next post I will speak more about the cake design, the story and inspiration behind the design, share some pictures and decorating tips that were used to create the design. I just can’t do that until after the show airs. So please stay tuned in and I would really appreciate as many subscriptions to my blog as possible. (Yes that is a plea for help …..LOL ….thanks).

See you all on SUNDAY!!!!!!

Thank you for taking out the time to follow and read my blog.

I am super excited to blog about the challenges, rewards, ups, downs, satisfactions and thrills that come with job of being a cake decorator. I reckon that this not new to most of you what with all the television shows that detail the lives of some very talented pastry chefs and cake decorators. However, I do assure you that the experience is different for every decorator. The process of getting a cake from basic ingredients to a master piece is varied across the board. Each cake chronicles its own story which not only changes the pastry chef (as many life experiences do) but most importantly adds a little touch of happiness, joy and beauty to the world. For me the experience is all-encompassing, it is professional yet personal, it is ordinary yet spiritual, it has its messy points (ever baked a cake?…you know this) yet it has the potential to display beauty that is breath taking….I could go on and on and on

If you can’t tell already I love what I do and not just love it ….I love it passionately!!!!! …..I love that I get to work with people under happy, joyous, and celebratory circumstances, not too many jobs offer that rear opportunity. I love that in some small way I am presented with the honor of being a small part of something happy and grand. Irrespective of the occasion… birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, showers….you name it…..a cake is a universal symbol for celebration that adds that touch of beauty, personality and sweetness to the festivities.

The world of cake artistry is exploding right before our eyes, the media, technology, creativity, and personalities have proved this aspect of the culinary arts to be in a special class of its own that has that unique ability to draw and unite people from different works of life. I undoubtedly want to be part of this great “Cake Revolution”.

So here is the deal, the intention is that this blog not only show pictures of my work, give recipes and throw out decorator tips, but that it chronicle the full story and experience associated with each cake, from inspiration to the grand finale, from discussions on flavors to the development of a flavor profile that is a party in the mouth. ….So friends please join me on this wonderful journey. It promises to be not only exciting but very inspirational.

Finally, I would be amiss to say that all this will/has come form me, I have only made it this far because of all the wonderful people who trusted me to bake for them and to you all I say a big big thank you. Each encounter has been a very memorable experience, each cake design placed in a special part of my heart reserved for the cherished friendship and relationship that either started with or resulted in a cake…..Thank you