This Monday we participated again in the annual Brides Magazine Style Shop! Here's the cake we created for the display table. We also passed out tastings of our chocolate cake with hazelnut buttercream.
Here's a look at the table with all the other beautiful cakes!!
Cupcake favors for a beautiful wedding in upstate NY.
Here's a pair of gumpaste toppers that I made for a friend's wedding. A princess and her superhero :) Of course!
Ruffles! For the Knot Fall 2012 issue, I was inspired by a bridesmaid dress to create a two tier cake with ruffles and a clean ribbon.
Here's another of our cakes that was featured again in this issue too.
Ombre has really gotten a lot of attention recently...it's everywhere and it's completely understandable why. It's so pretty, works with every color, and flows so naturally. Here is my take on a modern version of the ombre design for Brides Magazine July 2012.
For the June 2012 issue of Money Magazine, I got a chance to make a cake covered in dollar signs. How fitting :) The cake gives off a retro feel, esp with the cherries sitting on top! Check out the issue on stands now and get some insight on low-risk "recipes" for investing.
1st Birthday are the best...cute kids + cute cakes.
Here's a train themed cake we made recently for a baby boy's 1st Birthday.
Update from my last post.
I'm back in the States and had such an amazing experience in South Africa! I ended up teaching 21 women how to bake muffins, cupcakes, cookies and bread. They loved the baked goods so much and were thrilled to see how the various ingredients came together to form a delicious treat. Enjoying the warm muffins and breads straight from the oven while tossing it from one hand to another to try to cool them as we were eating was such a fun memory. My favorite session was when the women learned how to make cake frosting and pipped their names out. They have never seen a piping bag or a pastry tip, so it was such an exciting thing to learn!
Between the 7 other workshop that were held by the team of professionals I went with, there were over 150 women who took various courses and received certificates of accomplishment. Our "graduation" day was a such a beautiful time for celebration and it was such a proud moment in their lives.
The women I encountered were so eager to learn, hospitable, and joyful in the midst of their circumstances. It was such a humbling experience to work with a non-profit like Zimele to bring skills training to Swayimane. With this exposure to baking, some of the women were interested in getting further training in nearby towns and eventually develop their own small businesses. Hopefully this trip and the continued efforts by Zimele will lead towards the growing empowerment of the women in South Africa and act as a stepping stone towards working their way out of poverty.
On May 12-25th I will be heading to the town of Swayimana, in the Kwazulu-Natal region of South Africa to help out a non-profit organization called Zimele. "Zimele" is Zulu for "I am standing on my own two feet." The organization's main vision is to confront the root causes of poverty and empower communities of women and children to stand on their own two feet instead of depending on foreign aid. This comes in the form of providing women with skills, business training, resources, mentorships and support networks necessary to start businesses and social service projects to sustain themselves, their families, and their communities. I think this organization is special because it focuses on more than just meeting immediate needs, but rather emphasizes long term transformation. As the saying goes, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."
This is where my trip comes in! A team composed of several professionals representing finance, computers, culinary arts, education, photography, arts/crafts, sports, pharmacy, and medicine will be leading workshops specific to our professions to impart specialized skills to the women of the Swayimana. I will personally be holding workshops on how to bake breads, cookies and cakes so that women can learn the recipes and skills necessary to start a local bake shop as well as feed their families and neighbors. Currently, to get a loaf of basic white bread they must travel to a large city that is three hours away round trip! The town just got their first oven donated to them, so they are extremely eager to learn how to use it. This is an incredible opportunity to use my culinary experience and skills to make an impact on a community and their local economy. To learn more about the organization visit www.zimelecommunity.org I will return with photos and stories to share!
Here is bread recipe I've been testing to teach them!
Ode to chevron for the Knot Summer 2012
