"Oh, it can't be a reference to the fact Harry's a great Seeker, that's way too obvious. There must be a secret message from Dumbledore hidden in the icing!"
― J.K. Rowling
Ace of Cakes: Inside the World of Charm City Cakes by Duff Goldman, Willie Goldman
6 FEBRUARY 2015 (VIEWED) GOOD READS
When Duff Goldman, Food Network's "Ace of Cakes," envisioned Charm City Cakes in Baltimore nearly a decade ago, his goal was to make wonderful cakes for friends and family. As word spread about his fabulous creations, his dream grew into a nationally renowned business staffed by a team of talented professionals, including musicians, artists, and creative souls with experience in architectural modeling, graphic design, deejaying, coffee making, performance art, dog walking, sculpture, painting and more.
Aces of Cakes: Inside the World of Charm City Cakes is a celebration of the bakery that started it all. This colorful scrapbook is loaded with stories about Duff's early days as a graffiti artist turned young chef, his successes and hilarious disasters, and the amazing team he built step-by-step. Through candid interviews and profiles and hundreds of photographs, illustrations, and collages, the book shows how energy, inspiration, collaboration, and a bit of luck can conspire to help anyone achieve their creative vision. Read More
Ron Ben-Israel Cakes
6 FEBRUARY 2015 (VIEWED) NEW YORK MAGAZINE NANCY DAVIDSON
Ron Ben-Israel has been called the Manolo Blahnik of cakes, both because of his creative styling and because he’s beloved by fashion editors. He could also be called the Fragonard of confections for his lifelike floral reproductions in butter and sugar—each petal, stamen, leaf, and stem an exact replica of the real deal. But what ultimately makes his cakes so special is that no two
creations are completely alike. For weddings, bat mitzvahs, society galas, or silver anniversaries, Ben-Israel begins with a consultation that may find its inspirations in a bridal gown, an honoree’s interests, or a classic piece of art. He has also made cakes in the form of shoeboxes, shopping bags, footballs, baseballs, and cars. Some may seem to be precariously balanced, but all are architecture sound, impressively crafted, and unquestionably edible. Kosher cakes (with rabbinic certification) are also available for an additional cost. Read More
New York's pastry master reveals his secrets
28 APRIL 2012 BBC NEWS MAGAZINE REGGIE NADELSON
SOHO, NYC -- ... His cheery cheeky charm belies a stainless steel discipline. Before he was a baker, Ben-Israel was a dancer. "After I quit dancing, I tried a lot of jobs. But I could always bake," he says. And it was cake, gorgeous, fanciful, cake (glorious cake) that was his destiny."He has done cakes as Chanel bags and Manolo shoes"
"It is a lot like dancing," he says. "It is very time-consuming. Repetitiveness and discipline are the secrets of cake decorating. The art comes from the meticulous technique, the way it does for a dancer."
At a table in the work area, as focused as watchmakers, four young apprentices create and paint sugar flowers; exquisite, edible exacting copies of the real thing. Most of the decorations for Ben-Israel's extraordinary wedding cakes are bespoke, but it's always useful to have flowers at the ready. And so these young people work.
"They write to say, 'this is my dream.' I want to do what you do,'" he says.
... He shows me one of his masterpieces, a sky-high creation that makes your jaw drop.
Four tiers of pale blue fondant on top of a multi-tier cake, covered in exquisite gold curlicues and flowers, all edible, and topped with the couples' initials in edible jewelled letters.
This is a wedding cake for a Catherine the Great, an imperial cake. I think, isn't it a pity to cut into this beautiful thing and destroy it? (I'd probably keep mine forever, like some crazed Miss Havisham.)
"Oh, not at all," says Ron Ben-Israel. "That's the beauty, that's the fun of it. Make it, look at it, then eat it. The beauty of the ephemeral." Read More
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