Written by Kellie Rudland
Your background is fine art and advertising. How did you make the jump to sculpting using cake and chocolate?
My friend opened Highland Bakery here in Atlanta, and the first time I went in, I noticed she didn’ t have anything colourful in the cases! All I knew how to do in the pastry realm at the time was royal icing cookies. I was also a stay-at-home-mom at that point, so I offered to make cookies at home for her to sell in the case. She did not like the idea AT ALL at first, but eventually she gave in. Soon I was icing cakes, and it has all snowballed from there!
How different is working with edible materials than to non-edible?
There are a few differences, and a few similarities. Working with modelling chocolate is a lot like working with clay. It’ s soft and easy to sculpt with. With clay, however, there are many more steps to get to the finished piece; clay has to be fired many times, glazed, fired again, etc. Chocolate is immediate. And it smells better!
Tell us about your design process.
It depends, of course, on the piece. If I have a lot of freedom with design, and I’ m excited about it, then the design process begins with sleepless obsession. I wake up all night, and it’ s the first thought in my head. My very best ideas ALWAYS come first thing in the morning, before I open my eyes. Perhaps my mind is less cluttered then. I like to look at images for inspiration and detail and will usually grab a pile of books, or scroll around the internet. From there I create a truly horrible sketch that would make absolutely zero sense to anyone but myself! Then it’ s a trip to the hardware store. When I start on a piece I usually forgo sleep or proper nutrition, I have a hard time pacing myself. So my design process is not pretty, but it works for me!
Your clients have included celebrities such as Usher, Sir Elton John, Jane Lynch, Demi Moore, T-Pain and many more. Have you had any surprising requests from your famous clients?
Well, one of the cardinal rules to maintaining the trust of people in the public eye is discretion, so I keep my client’ s secrets. I can tell you about one strange request, though. I had a locally famous client who celebrated the“ birthday” of her kidney transplant, which was on the same day as her friend( both radio personalities here in Atlanta). One year they requested a dual birthday cake of one of them driving a boat, pulling a water skiing kidney. It’ s hard to top that for surprising!
You’ ve starred in television programs such as Food Network’ s Cake Challenge, Bizarre Foods, Cake Wars and Halloween Wars. What’ s it like working on cakes in that sort of environment?
It’ s hard to choose which word to pick first in describing the experience. Stressful! Exhilarating! Exhausting! Hilarious! Exciting! It really is a unique experience, knowing you are competing, being filmed, being timed, being judged and trying to do your best work all the while. We all worry about cake disasters, but television loves them, so it’ s almost hard to get it wrong. If the cake is amazing, it’ s great. If the cake falls over, it’ s still great!
" I always tell people who have a chance to do it that they should DO IT! Who cares if you win? You’ ll always regret not giving it a go!"
You have created many cakes on stage in front of a crowd. How do you find sculpting intricate details with an audience watching?
I really enjoy it. I think it’ s the teacher in me. So many people are intimidated by the thought of making a large figure or sculpting a face. It’ s always my thinking that if they get to watch someone do it while staying relaxed and focused, it may help them see that it’ s just cake, and there’ s nothing to be intimidated about. Watching someone make a big cake from beginning to end is enlightening for people who are new to cake and worry that it’ s all too complicated. I’ m fortunate enough to not have stage fright, and I really love teaching, so being on stage working with a big crowd is FUN!
You spend a lot of your time teaching around the world. Is there a country you would love to visit but haven’ t yet had the opportunity?
Japan! I really want to teach in Japan! So if you have a shop in Japan, and you’ d like to host me, email me right away! I’ ve only been there in the airport on a layover, but bought more in the airport in Japan than I did in either of the countries I was working in before or after the layover. The art, the fashion, the food, the architecture, the history, the culture... Japan.
What are your most-used cake decorating tools?
The PME Dresden leaf and flower tool, and my fingers.
Do you have a favourite cake to date?
I just did a big Goblin character for The Centre for Puppetry Arts here in my city. There was an anniversary celebration masquerade ball for the movie Labyrinth, and I got to do the cake. I really enjoyed that one. I always have to mention the giant Octopus cake I did years ago, because that cake went viral and opened a lot of doors for me, so it has a special place in my heart!
Have you ever had a cake disaster?
Every cake I make goes through the moment where I think it’ s a disaster! I think that’ s just part of my process. Usually it passes. I did have a cake break apart on the way to delivery once, though. I was able to rush back to the bakery and fix it, fortunately. Every long time decorator knows the feeling of amazement at how a cake that takes 10 hours to make can be remade in about 20 minutes!
What inspires you?
I am inspired by anything well and thoughtfully executed. It could be a beautifully carved fireplace mantle, a well-orchestrated piece of music, an elaborate costume, anything that represents a high level of effort and achievement in a craft. It may inspire me visually, but the biggest inspiration comes from witnessing what someone has achieved by working hard and succeeding at creating an amazing thing. It expands my vision of what is possible.