Speaking of Inspirations...

Last week was the most inspiring week I have had in ages...First I went to Las Vegas for the IBIE Bakery Showcase and with that was the US chocolate competition where 6 chocolatiers/pastry chefs competed for the US title to go to France for the World competition. Also, a bread competition for the title to go to the Coupe de Monde in France next year. AND a Pillsbury cake decoration competition that was not so inspiring but still interesting... all piped buttercream type decorating.
The most fun I had in Vegas was the tour we got (because someone knows someone) of the Wynn Hotel's pastry kitchens...and when I say plural kitchens I mean they have a kitchen for each department. They have the pastry kitchen, the chocolate kitchen, the dessert kitchen, the cake room, the dough room within each state of the art equipment and so clean you could eat off the floor during production!! Amazing! I wish I had had the opportunity to work at a place like that when I was just up and coming!
Here is a pic I took in the cake room...and the story gets better after this!

The following weekend I went to Tulsa Oklahoma for Kerry Vincent's Sugar Art show! All the cakes were both beautiful and intimidating...the work, the talent!! But with all the categories that are available to enter in there is hope for any cake decorator at any level to enter. They even have kids categories!
The most weird and amazing thing that happened though is that when they announced the Grand Master Wedding Cake winner they told her story first and mentioned she was the cake decorator at the Wynn Hotel in Vegas!! I had just met her!! So I ran up to her to tell her this and congratulated her and of course this was far more exciting to me than to her but none the less I found it a fab coincidence!
I then remembered the picture I took at the Wynn in the cake room and because I forgot my camera...errrr... I had to buy those throw away cameras to get some shots of the trip. I ran to the store to have them developed and when I got the pics... well...here is the winning cake... weird, huh?

Completely unaware I had taken a picture of the winning cake the week before she was to drive it out to Oklahoma for the competition! She surely deserved the win!! The girl is an artist!
BTW, the theme this year was Mansions and Monasteries.

Ok, I know it has been way too long since I last blogged and I apologize... with the cake shop and teaching and my regular life I have been a bit busy.
One of my followers asked me to video blog my croissants and I think that is brilliant. I plan on working on that soon! It may take awhile but I will find the time!

With that suggestion I got the idea of asking all of you what else I might do that you would like to see being made? A student asked for the cake decorating page, did that....being an instructor I like to teach what others want to learn...

So please!! Write to me... let me know what it is you want to learn and I will do what I can to comply!