Now, I'm not a big baseball fan. In fact, as un-American as it sounds I really don't like it at all. However, I have to admit, this guy is pretty cute. And I know it made one extreme NY Mets fan ecstatic. Not sure how he felt about sticking a fork into his favorite mascot, though.
San Diego is blessed with an abundance of amazing photographers. Of course, each has his or her own style and it's important to find the one who can capture the feeling that you want your wedding photos to project.
Ben Aguirre has worked with well known photographers in Orange County and is breaking into the San Diego market. Several weeks ago he obligingly photographed a cake for me at a beautiful wedding in La Jolla. He has a great website you'll want to check out. Ben Aguirre Photo. Below are a couple of his pics.
Now THAT's the way to enjoy cake!
Sometimes things get put into perspective for us.
About a year ago I had a similar situation to the post left by Tatiana. We had a little boys Star Wars birthday cake to deliver. About 35 kids and their parents were attending and this Mom always does her kids parties up big. We were buried in cakes that day and by the time I arrived, the guests were getting ready to leave, the Mom was terribly upset and the little boy was in tears. I was devastated. These were regular clients as well and I thought, how terrible to let a family and a child down on what should have been such a perfect day. I wrote her a letter expressing my sadness over the situation and promised a cake for whatever future event they might have. I knew it would not repair the damage and really didn't expect to hear back but I hoped that, at the very least, they would know that my remorse was genuine.
I didn't hear anything back until a few months later when I received a note from the Mom saying that they had been planning to use their "cake IOU" to celebrate the upcoming birth of their daughter. Sadly, she lost the baby in a late term miscarriage. To quote, "In light of our recent loss, not having a birthday cake at a party on time seems insignificant."
While this by no means justifies unreliability or tardiness it really does make you think. It's a cake. It's not a disease or a brain tumor, or a car crash or a life. I like to think that my reason for existence on this "mortal coil" has some sort of meaning and contributing pleasure to events through cake is extremely gratifying. Usually. But, in the end, it's still just cake. And life goes on.
When I first saw those tacky supermarket birthday cakes with the blurry photos of kids, I thought, hmmm, cool idea but I'll bet the technique could be utilized in a more tasteful manner. It took me a long time to actually get into it because, like everybody else, I thought it meant a major investment and it seemed a little mysterious. Well, no big investment and not very mysterious. It involves a scanner, a Canon printer, food color cartridges, and frosting sheets. All of which can be purchased through Kopykake, PhotoFrost, or some distributor's like Ambassador/Qzina. It does take a lot of experimentation and familiarity with a photo program such as PhotoShop or Adobe Photo Deluxe (PhotoShop for the common man).
There are those in the cake biz who feel that this is not a legitimate decorating skill and therefore should not be allowed in such competitions as the Oklahoma State Sugar Arts Show. Hopefully, that will change. I feel it's as much a skill as any other when used as a part to create a whole. Generally, I don't use it as the main technique unless the point of the cake is, well, photos! Such as the cake below where romantic old French photos were the focus.
When I was invited to participate in the Food Network's Surprise Wedding Cake Challenge, I looked at it as an opportunity to change the somewhat dubious perception of this process and take it out of the realm of the supermarket bakery case. The judges in this particular competition would not be choosing the winner so I knew that I could design freely. The couple for whom the cakes were being made would decide the outcome. I think the cake which my assistant and I created really showed the heights to which this technique can be taken. No, we didn't win (that darn Michelle Bommarito!) but we chalked one up for bringing technology into the cake decorating arena.
In the December 2007 issue of American Cake Decorating Magazine , I was featured in an article called The Perfect Wrap. Craig Gustafson, the Editor in Chief, and also photographer extraordinaire, did a super photo essay on the subject. While very well done, I think it may have done more to confound and confuse than to enlighten. Read it for the outline of the general technique rather than how to make that exact cake or you'll be throwing in the towel before you even get started. Hopefully you can still get a back order of the issue or I'll be happy to fax it to you.
This Cake Story submitted by: Marion Cardwell-Ferrer
www.sincrediblepastries.com
I met with a bride and groom about their wedding cake.
The bride did all of the talking. The groom just sat there like a lost puppy dog. He looked like he really wanted to interject, but he didn't. Finally I asked him what he thought about the cake flavor and what styles he liked etc... The bride shot back at me " I AM PAYING FOR THIS CAKE, I DECIDE WHAT IT'S GOING TO BE" I sat there in total shock and total silence for what seemed like an eternity. Finally the groom said " the NEXT time I get married I'M paying for the cake" I think at that point my guts ripped in half...I wanted to tell the groom to run for the hills and never look back. When I arrived at the wedding to set up the cake, the father of the bride came over to the table and said " THIS is the cake?"- in a VERY derogatory tone.(.he didn't even introduce himself). I thought to myself "like father like daughter" and kept decorating. Several weeks later I received a call from the bride saying that I left the strawberries off the top layer of cake and that her father was a lawyer ( there's a big surprise! )she wanted her money back or she would sue me. I sent her a refund for the strawberries I left off the cake- probably three strawberries TOTAL and told her that she could take me to small claims court. I never heard back form them because of course, they knew they had no case. I heard from the wedding coordinator that she was divorced in less than two months ( another BIG surprise!). Those were the worst clients I ever had. I really hope the groom re-married a NICE girl! I think he finally got the picture!
Here's a waaaaaay better photo of these cute little sweets. The other one didn't begin to do them justice. These were for a ladies birthday luncheon. Just the right amount of dessert for those Size 0's!
This awesome little cake was made by Fernanda for her daughter's birthday. The Golden Snitch is completely hand made and features poured sugar wings painted with silver luster dust. Don't I have a SUPER talented crew?
