A Cake for Austin Scarlett

Living in New York, you never know who you'll run into.  New York City is one of those equalizing places where you run into people who you never thought you'd meet in a million years.  This, my friends, is one of those stories.

It all started a few months ago.  It was a regular day.  I was at NY Cake (a staple in the city for any baker or cake decorator) and all of a sudden, I saw someone I recognized.  Let me begin by saying I always think I see famous people and it is very rarely true that I actually see who I think I do.

So I walk up to this gentleman and ask "Were you on project Runway?"  He kindly replies, "Yes, but that was a lonnng time ago".  I, out of nowhere, get a feeling of bravery and say "Would you mind if I gave you my business card?  I would love to collaborate with you someday if the opportunity arises.”  He graciously took my card and went on his way.  And that was the end of it.  Or so I thought.  I went on living my life, thinking nothing more of my encounter. 

Fast forward to mid-October.  I get a random email from Austin Scarlett's business partner asking if I would like to collaborate with Austin for the launch of his new wedding gown collection!  I re-read the email over and over just to make sure I wasn't hallucinating and that it was really true.  I was mostly floored that Austin kept my card, had an opportunity and actually thought enough of me to contact me.  And this wasn't just a cake for a birthday party... this was the opportunity to make mini cakes for the gift bags at his show and to create a large cake to be displayed along side his dresses.  In the email, his business partner said that it wasn't a large runway show but rather a smaller parlor presentation during Bridal Fashion Week with over 150 editors and publications from the wedding industry attending.  This. Was. Huge.  The other huge thing was that the presentation was going to be held in the historic Campbell Apartment in Grand Central Station, which is special in itself because it is the centennial celebration.

So I immediately called my husband to tell him the good news.  His first reaction was, "Wait, when did you even meet him?"  I proceeded to tell him the story and he was so impressed with me for just putting myself out there and marketing myself (New York is a tough, saturated market to break into folks!)  I arranged to go to Austin's studio.  After emailing back and forth with Austin's business partner, Alison, I realize that it was a week out from the launch of the collection and none of the dresses are actually finished!  This was not totally surprising to me since I did watch his original season of project runway (and being an artist myself) I understand that creative types always work right up until the last second.

I arranged to go down to the Austin Scarlett Studio on a Thursday night.  The studio was located in the heart of the garment district.  If you've never been to the garment district, imagine the most beautiful beading and lace and fabric in every window as far as the eye can see.  It is amazing.  I was in heaven and I wasn't even to the studio yet!  I finally get to the studio and there were at least 8 people working feverishly, but the mood was surprisingly light and fun.

Austin came right up to me and introduced me to his team.  Then, Austin then did the most flattering thing... he introduced me to his sister and then out of the blue pulls out my original card and starts bragging about MY WORK to his sister!  You always hear about famous people having big heads or being cocky but Austin was just so genuine and kind.  I wanted to make an amazing cake for him before, but now, I wanted to make an kick-ass cake that he would be proud to have at the launch of his new collection.

Austin then showed me around his studio.  He showed me each of the dresses in the collection and let me take photos for reference.  I know the dresses weren't completely finished, but I was still floored.  Austin and his team do truly breathtaking work.  Austin then showed me his inspiration board and took the time to talk to me about his work.  With a week left until his launch you'd think he would have rushed me out so they could have gotten back to work, but no.  He really took the time to make me feel welcome and invited me on this journey with him and his team.  (Can you tell I'm like Austin's #1 fan now?!)

Before I left I asked him if I could have a few fabric swatches to match the textures and colors of his dresses.  I was expecting the kind of swatches you get from the fabric store…a 2"x2" square of nothingness....  But much to my surprise he brought me a bag, FULL to the brim with different fabrics!

I snapped a few photos on my way out and left with my head full of ideas! I couldn't wait to get home and start sketching... Actually, I take that back... I believe I started sketching on the train ride home!

Sometimes translating an idea into a beautiful cake can be difficult.  People come to you with a kitchen sink kind of idea for a cake... You know, I want the cake for my husband’s birthday to have all of the things he loves: golf and poker and the newspaper and video games and running shoes and this and that.... And it is up to the cake designer to edit, scale back and make a cohesive cake.  This was not one of those situations.  The whole time I was at Austin's studio I couldn't help but think how easy his designs would translate into cake.  My sketch came together on the subway ride home from Austin's studio.  I knew exactly what I wanted to do and couldn't wait to get start. 

I decided to use of one of the most memorable dresses as inspiration for the main cake design.  It was full of light fluffy ruffles, as far as the eye could see.  The other design I was drawn to was almost feather design with sequins.  It was truly breathtaking and a design I couldn't stop thinking about.

For the gift bag desserts, we decided on 2.5" mini cakes.  The cake itself was a delicious fresh lemon cake with raspberry perseveres and vanilla swiss meringue buttercream covered with a high quality fondant.  I didn't want to make the mini cakes too complicated because I knew I was going to be making A LOT, so I end up creating a small fondant appliqué matching the design of the large cake with sugar draqee and sugar pearl detail.  We finished off the mini cakes by placing them in clear boxes with a Katherine Sprules Cake Designs sticker.

The day of the show came quickly but we couldn't have been more excited!  As I mentioned before, the show was held at the Campbell Apartment at Grand Central Station.  The study is beautiful and grandiose with dark wood paneling and a gorgeous bar and fireplace.  The show was fabulous and understated all at the same time.

The models stood along the perimeters of the room while a photo station was set up at the back of the room, complete with lights and decor.  It was really interesting to watch because although there was a full photo station in the back of the room to take brilliant photos with perfect light, people were also invited to walk up to the models standing along the perimeter of the room and snap photos and take a closer look at the fabrics and details.  Most of the editors and press were snapping photos with their iPhones, which I found kind of funny... but made sense.  Gotta love the convenience of the iPhone!  If you don't believe me check out the instgram hashtag #austinscarlett

The dresses were beautiful, the setting was intimate and cozy, yet extremely sophisticated.  Austin found me out the crowd, gave me a kiss on the cheek and a warm hug and told me how much he loved my cake.  He said it was perfect and he was so happy with my interpretation of his designs.  Phew.  We snapped a photo in front of my cake (he certainly is a snappy dresser!)

When the show was winding down I went up to the dressing room take a look at the dresses I might have missed and much to my surprise the dress I had modeled the detailing of the cake after, didn't even make the final cut!  Oh well, Austin still loved the cake and it was a great opportunity for my work to be seen by the main stream wedding market. 

The show was a complete success and I was really happy to have met Austin Scarlett and his entire team.

So what's the moral of my story you ask?  Take a chance.  You never know when you'll meet someone who will take a chance on you.

Check out my instagram feed at @ksprulescakes

Life, explained.

I've totally been slacking in the blog department.

Allow me to explain.

Back in college, one of my Art Education professors assigned us an project which she called "from seed".  That basically was the entire assignment, no explanation, no description, no rubic of how to get an A.  You might ask, "Why in the world is she going on about a stupid assignment from college, I thought this was a baker's blog?!"  Well, I do have a point.  Hang tight...

The whole semester we had to be working on this "from seed" project.  And on the last day of class we all had to present our projects.  Some people brought in these HUUUUGE plants!  I'm talking REEEAAALLLY HUUUUUGGE plants!  Plants that I would never be able to grow (hello black thumb)!  A few people had potatoes with toothpick jabbed in the sides suspended in a cup of water, barely hanging on to life... some people had nothing.  My professor brought in a dead plant.  The moral of the story/assignment is some people can handle gardening and some can not.  My professor said the project wasn't really meant to be an actual graded assignment working towards our GPA but rather a self reflection.  Some people are super aware of their surroundings and what is lacking, whether that be nutrients, love, attention, WATER... some are not.  My professor herself brought in a dead plant.  She explained that the way she handles stress (or life is general) is that priorities get all of her attention and if she's not careful, other things die (literally and figuratively).

Now I'm not saying my blog is dead...  far from it in fact but I would say it has been taking a little hibernation or extended power nap.  I've had a lot going on in the last month and the blog is a clear indication of that.  I think it is healthy, dare I say normal, to have these moments of reflection.  My blog needs love and attention...  I will not let you die, dear blog.

To those of you who have been checking the good ole blog while I've been neglecting it, thank you from the bottom of my heart.  And don't you worry, I have a lot of blog material saved up so expect to see lots of love and attention paid to it from this point on.

word.

*You might be wondering about my "from seed" project... well I took a more creative approach to the project fully aware of my history of successfully killing plants with too much love or lack there of.  Instead I decided to make a chia pet :)  I was emphasizing in sculpture during college so I sculpted a hand holding a baby bird out of clay placing small holes in the baby bird so when the seeds bloomed the bird would be brought to life and would transform into happy, green and fluffy wonderfulness.  On that fateful day the 'from seed' project was due my chia baby bird hadn't even bloomed.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I can't even get a chia pet to grow.

Good thing I'm a baker and not a gardener!


How about you guys?  What is the first thing to indicate a busy season?  Laundry pile up?  Forget to send b-day cards or pay bills?  Neglect your blog, like me? ;)

Can I take a moment to talk about chocolate?

I don't know about you all but, I've always been more of a savory person rather than a sweets person.  Not to say that I don't loves sweets... because I do.  But given the choice between french fries and chocolate cake, I'd choose the french fries.  I take that back... I'd have two bites of the chocolate cake and then ALL of the french fries :)

I guess what I'm trying to say is that if I'm going to eat sweets, they have to be amazing.  Growing up, I was not a baker.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed eating the occasional brownie, piece of pie or my mom's legendary Kahlua cake but my real weakness was anything salty.  I've always been that way... that is until I fell in love with Mast Brothers Chocolate.

Okay, okay, let me preface this by saying Mast Brothers Chocolate isn't paying me to write this or giving me anything... I just want to share my love for them with the world.  You'll thank me later.

Let's back up a bit...

Maybe eight months ago my dear friend, Rachel, asked me if I wanted to attend a culinary management lecture at the Institute of Culinary Education (our alma mater).  She gave me an overview of what the guest speakers were all about and it sounded interesting so we made a date to go.  Now let me remind you that I'm an Arizona native and have been living in New York City a little less than two years now. I am definitely not one to know who's who in the culinary world, but I am learning... slowly but surely :)  My point is that I didn't even know who Thomas Keller was until I moved to NYC, so I'm a little slow to the game of "what's hot and what's not".  Any who... Rachel and I showed up to this lecture and the Mast Brothers totally knocked my socks off.  They spoke about building their business from their teeny tiny NYC apartment and dreaming of sharing their passion of making chocolate from the best ingredients and sharing it with local New Yorkers.  They were down to earth, genuine, and they believed in their dream... believed in their craft.

** I apologize for the poor quality video.  It seems as though Blogger will only let you upload videos from YouTube not Vimeo... Bummer I know.  For more Mast Brothers Chocolate videos describing their inspiration and journey in the chocolate world (that are beautifully shot and have an awesome sound track) visit  MAST BROTHERS CHOCOLATE  

Once I heard the Mast Brothers speak I was a believer... then I tasted their chocolate and there was no turning back.  From that moment on, I knew I needed to use Mast Brothers Chocolate in my cakes.

I came home from that lecture and immediately told my husband, Chris, all about it... I swear I must have sounded like a school girl the way I spoke about the chocolate.  And thinking back I really was giddy as a school girl, because this chocolate is the bees knees.  Seriously.

Luckily, I learned about the Mast Brothers and their chocolate right as their business started to gather steam and luckily you can now buy it at most places in NYC.  Gotta love NYC and their love-affair with local businesses <3  Chris and I have been buying a bar here, and a bar there for about 8 months now.  And every kind we taste we love just as much as the one before.  Before I tried Mast Brothers Chocolate I really didn't understand how chocolate could taste all that different.  Tomato tomahto... right?  No.  I mean obviously dark chocolate is going to taste differently than milk chocolate but I never really thought much about different brands of chocolate tasting too different.  The awesome thing about the Mast Brothers is they have discovered how get their flavors from the cacao beans during the fermentation process instead of adding milk solids and other flavors/sugars later when they are actually making the chocolate (like many other chocolate makers do).  It is all very complicated... but the point is, they are knocking the socks off of everyone in the industry and are the featured chocolate in almost every fancy pants restaurant in NYC as well the White House.  Yes, you hear me.  The official chocolate in the White House is Mast Brothers Chocolate!

So now you know how much I love them...

Chris and I decided to finally take the trip to Brooklyn and see with our own two eyes where the magic happens...

Mast Brothers Chocolate not only tastes delicious but also looks delicious.  I mean have you ever seen a prettier paper wrapping a chocolate bar?

The cacao bags are one of the first things you see when you walk in the door.  They truly are making their chocolate from the "bean to bar".  You can even purchase a handmade bag repurposed from cacao bags :)

The floor plan at the Mast Brothers store has an open layout so you can see your chocolate being made, your chocolate bar being wrapped and specialty items being created.  Chris and I had our eyes on the goat cheese chocolate truffle.  Mmmm...

The Layered Chocolate Bourbon Cake also looked pretty amazing...

so many choices...

The best part?  Free samples before you buy :)

Chris and I had a great trip to Mast Brothers Chocolate.  It is so refreshing to see a business where the quality and integrity of the concept, process, and the product are most important, steadfast and true.  

Now that you know my feelings, tell me, how do you feel about chocolate?

Connecticut Cake Competition Part 2

The 2013 Connecticut Cake Competition was two jammed packed days of cake fun.  Seriously.

Since the competition is open to the public (as well as experts in the cake world) there were loads of vendors at the competition with the latest and greatest cake products, tools, gadgets and services.  One of the tables that attracted a lot of attention was the Lincoln Culinary Institute.  Their table displayed the most beautiful chocolate sculpture created by their program manager.

Native American Indian with Wolf Headdress

by Francine Bove CEPC

Isn't the detail unreal?  I think displaying Chef Francine's work at the Connecticut Cake Competition was the most brilliant thing the Lincoln Culinary Institute could have done to attract potential students.

Sugarpaste, also had an impression booth.  Sugarpaste has an online store specializing in anything a cake decorator could dream of.  They even have their own brand of "crystal" colors (petal dusts aka food coloring in a powder form used to create life-like color on flowers and 3D forms).  Their table made me feel like a kid in a candy store!  I absolutely go crazy for anything having to do with color!  Maybe that's why my husband refuses to go to the paint store with me... or the pen/marker aisle for that matter...  I could spend hours looking at this stuff :)

Sugarpaste's table at the Connecticut Cake Competition

Another vendor at the show was One Bite Sweet along with Fondarific.  One Bite Sweet facilitates classes with some of the greatest experts and masters in the industry.

*Updated 3/19/2013: 

One Bite Sweet's display table featured a modeling chocolate sculpture from one of Kaysie Lackey's students, Alev.  

Alev 's sculpture titled, "Blown Away Betty" was actually created at Mother of Cakes Sugar & Cake Academy in Lehigh Valley Pennsylvania under the instruction of Kaysie Lackey and sponsored by Fondx Fondant.  

Chocolate Sculpture created by Alev under the instruction of Kaysie Lackey

I love the expression on her face, the details in her jacket and the delicateness of her dress.

Kaysie's creates her work using an armature which creates a gravity defying effect.  I really love the whimsical feel of her work.  So fun :)

Want a chance to learn from the great Kaysie Lackey?  Visit Mother of Cakes for more information on Kaysie's gravity defying classes starting October 2013. 

Amidst all of the fun tables to visit and interesting people to cake experts to talk to the show also offered a variety of different classes and demos you could take advantage of.  They offered classes geared to every age group and skill level.

We ran across the information for an angry birds cookie decorating class for kids :)  I know the kids in my family would have loved that (right Ben and Jacob?)!

The class Chris and I attended (did I mention my wonderful husband spent the entire weekend doing the cake thing with me?  He is an angel!) was the Chocolate Sculpting demo by Vanessa Greeley.

Gotta have my Starbucks for the demo!

My wonderful husband, Chris and I enjoying the show :)

Chef Greeley's demo consisted of her sharing her insight on creating her chocolate sculpture, 

"Lady Chocolat"

Lady Chocolat by Vanessa Greeley

The demonstration was informative (although there was slight technical difficulties with the computer/projector) and I picked up a few tricks which is always great!

The main thing to remember when working with chocolate is that it is extremely heavy!  Chef Greeley walked us through her design and construction process.  She estimated that the bust of the chocolate alone was close to 20 pounds.

Chef Greeley doing her chocolate thing...

I love when you meet people in the industry that are willing to show you their secrets... why should everyone have to reinvent the wheel!?  Right?!  Chef Greeley has been around the block when it comes to the chocolate world and even showed us how to make our own chocolate molds using acetate.  Where was she when I was in culinary school creating my giant chocolate sculpture?  It would have been so helpful back then :)

Chef Greeley explained how she used this type of a mold to create another one of her awe inspiring designs.

Here's a better quality image of that design...

Chocolate is such an interesting medium to work with because despite it being rather heavy and capable of being very strong, it can also be extremely delicate and fragile.  I think this contrast of characteristics is demonstrated really beautifully by Chef Greeley's piece.

Overall, it was a great cake-filled weekend!  

The Connecticut Cake Show treated us well and I'm happy to have been a part of the 2013 show :)

CAKE MECHANIC