Sweetest Couture Magazine Interview
Art Deco Wedding Cake Chandelier
1. Some of your cakes have SO much detail! Do you build the levels of detail in your mind as you go or do you have a complete vision before you start?
I always have a complete vision of my designs before I start. I take the time to sketch and evaluate all ideas and concepts. This allows me to assess the level of difficulty of each design and what they imply, and to estimate the number of hours of work.
Having said that, I always request some level of creative license from my clients to fine tune minor details that I believe contribute to the final product.
2. Flawless execution is certainly part of your cake designs because of your architectural and design background. Have you ever gotten into the middle of constructing a cake and decided that you needed to start over?
Not really. I hate drama, and I do everything within my reach to keep my anxiety down.
Taking the time to thoroughly think about everything involved in constructing and executing of my designs pays off.
There are SO many things that can go wrong with this type of work. I believe that in order to minimize the risk of either a poor execution or a cake disaster, you should be as good as planning as executing.
This doesn’t mean that every now and then I haven’t had to repeat or even change minor elements or components of my cakes to further enhance them.
3. What are some of the most creative and challenging cakes you’ve made and why? (include pictures here if you have them)
One of my most creative and challenging designs is my “Art Deco Wedding Cake Chandelier”, designed for one of my brides with an amazing eye for beauty.
This client approached me with the idea of designing a gold Art Deco themed cake to be showcased at one of the most gorgeous Art Deco buildings I know, the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza.
Being an Architect myself, I felt that this was once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
This bride and her fabulous parents, I soon realized, were at heart as much of a designer as I was. I wanted to keep them as involved as possible in the creative process.
I believe that a good designer is a good listener, a good interpreter. I always take the time to study and understand all the reference material that my clients collect regarding to the overall theme of the event, as well as specifics about the cake.
Once I process all this information, I categorize their ideas into different concepts, and briefly develop ideas for some of them.
After our first consultation, and once collected all their feedback, I develop my final design.
Some of the most exciting elements of this design came from the bride herself, such as the geometry of the cake, the notion of layering and angles, and the idea of placing a stunning perfume bottle as the cake topper.
I feel that I was just in the right place at the right time, and once again my role was that of an interpreter of ideas.
4. What trends do you see in wedding cake design, dessert tables, and wedding cupcakes in your area?
I believe that design is the driver of all current confectionery trends. From large wedding cakes to spectacular dessert tables…it is all about pursuing an idea or theme that is relevant and exciting. Maybe it is a fashion forward concept, or the revisiting of a specific style. The era of a traditional approach and of conventional creations, is in my opinion long gone.
5. Besides making your clients happy, what keeps you motivated?
I am very competitive to myself. I make myself try new techniques or ideas on every new order, and have the motto that every cake has to be my best cake.
This definitely keeps me motivated!
6. What is the most important thing you have learned as a cake designer?
I feel honored to be part of such vast array of special celebrations.
I have made cakes for such varied occasions, from the 80th birthday celebration of a holocaust survivor, to joyful and glamorous bridal affairs.
Cake designing is to me a constant invitation to celebrate life, and to live it at it’s fullest.
I always have a complete vision of my designs before I start. I take the time to sketch and evaluate all ideas and concepts. This allows me to assess the level of difficulty of each design and what they imply, and to estimate the number of hours of work.
Having said that, I always request some level of creative license from my clients to fine tune minor details that I believe contribute to the final product.
2. Flawless execution is certainly part of your cake designs because of your architectural and design background. Have you ever gotten into the middle of constructing a cake and decided that you needed to start over?
Not really. I hate drama, and I do everything within my reach to keep my anxiety down.
Taking the time to thoroughly think about everything involved in constructing and executing of my designs pays off.
There are SO many things that can go wrong with this type of work. I believe that in order to minimize the risk of either a poor execution or a cake disaster, you should be as good as planning as executing.
This doesn’t mean that every now and then I haven’t had to repeat or even change minor elements or components of my cakes to further enhance them.
3. What are some of the most creative and challenging cakes you’ve made and why? (include pictures here if you have them)
One of my most creative and challenging designs is my “Art Deco Wedding Cake Chandelier”, designed for one of my brides with an amazing eye for beauty.
This client approached me with the idea of designing a gold Art Deco themed cake to be showcased at one of the most gorgeous Art Deco buildings I know, the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza.
Being an Architect myself, I felt that this was once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
This bride and her fabulous parents, I soon realized, were at heart as much of a designer as I was. I wanted to keep them as involved as possible in the creative process.
I believe that a good designer is a good listener, a good interpreter. I always take the time to study and understand all the reference material that my clients collect regarding to the overall theme of the event, as well as specifics about the cake.
Once I process all this information, I categorize their ideas into different concepts, and briefly develop ideas for some of them.
After our first consultation, and once collected all their feedback, I develop my final design.
Some of the most exciting elements of this design came from the bride herself, such as the geometry of the cake, the notion of layering and angles, and the idea of placing a stunning perfume bottle as the cake topper.
I feel that I was just in the right place at the right time, and once again my role was that of an interpreter of ideas.
4. What trends do you see in wedding cake design, dessert tables, and wedding cupcakes in your area?
I believe that design is the driver of all current confectionery trends. From large wedding cakes to spectacular dessert tables…it is all about pursuing an idea or theme that is relevant and exciting. Maybe it is a fashion forward concept, or the revisiting of a specific style. The era of a traditional approach and of conventional creations, is in my opinion long gone.
5. Besides making your clients happy, what keeps you motivated?
I am very competitive to myself. I make myself try new techniques or ideas on every new order, and have the motto that every cake has to be my best cake.
This definitely keeps me motivated!
6. What is the most important thing you have learned as a cake designer?
I feel honored to be part of such vast array of special celebrations.
I have made cakes for such varied occasions, from the 80th birthday celebration of a holocaust survivor, to joyful and glamorous bridal affairs.
Cake designing is to me a constant invitation to celebrate life, and to live it at it’s fullest.
