Tastes of the Seasons
Congratulations to all of the participants in the 2012 NCACS Cupcake Challenge.
We would also like to extend a special thank you to all of the attendees, baking assistants, event sponsors, volunteers, and guests that made the event a suceess.
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AND THE WINNER IS…!!!
The 2012 People’s Choice Winners were voted on by the 700 attendees of the cupcake challenge.
1st Place– Pecan Pumpkin Swirl by Nancy Aispuro & Caroline Litt
2nd Place– Cherry Limeade by Michelle Proulx
3rd Place– Lavender with Lime by Elaine Nuzzaco
4th Place– Strawberry Lemonade by Joel Gill
5th Place– Pumpkin Spice by Keisha Stubbs
6th Place (tie)– Strawberry Delight by Candra Callicot
6th Place (tie)– Chocolate Bacon Chipotle by Kyle Downes
6th Place (tie)– Pumpkin Walnut with Spiced Caramel by Whitney Pope
Winner in each seasonal division were selected by judges from the National Capital Area Cake Show.
Winner are indicated below for each season. Entries were scored based upon the following criteria:
Ability to cleanly slice cupcake, visual appeal of sliced cupcake, texture/taste of cake, overall taste appeal, texture/taste of icing, appearance, overall complexity, creativity, and interpretation of theme.
Winter Wonderland
1st Place, Amateur– Peppermint Stick by Sandy Schmuff
1st Place, Professional– Chocolate Bliss Peppermint by Emily Baird and Tamara Wilson
| BAKER | 2012 FLAVOR ENTRY | BAKER’S BIO |
|---|---|---|
| Becky Rink | White Chocolate Irish Cream | – |
| Caroline Litt | Eggnog Coco (Gluten Free) | – |
| Colleen Jay | Chai Mocha | – |
| Elizabeth Claeyssen | Oreo Chocolate Chip | Elizabeth Claeyssen began baking about 2 years ago. For her baking is more than just making something tasty, it’s a stress reliever, a sort of spa. She has been dreaming of baking since she began watching the Food Network 20 years ago when she first moved to the United States from Peru. Two years ago she decided to take classes at Michael s and started practicing doing cakes and cupcakes for her friends and coworkers and now has her Facebook site where she takes small orders for anything from cupcakes to yule logs and Peruvian deserts, as she continues to perfect her craft. Check out her site, Liz’s Sweets: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lizs-Sweets/175132519196836 |
| Inayah Zaman | French Vanilla Coffee Creme Brulee | I started baking a little more than a year ago. Believe it or not, I was the type to burn everything but all of a sudden, something in my head clicked and I’ve been baking these little delicacies since! I believe that food is a medium for us to share ourselves with others. Being able to express myself in my baking has become an important aspect of my life, as well as, seeing the joy in others when they experience something made with my own two hands. My family calls me Ini at home as a pet name and so some time in the future, I hope to open my own bakery and call it “Ini Mini Cupcakery.” I hope that my entry conveys the care and love that goes into each of my desserts. This is my story, now is my moment… I’ll laugh, I’ll sing and I’ll BAKE. I do not have a website but this is my cake central blog: http://cakecentral.com/gallery/user/tigeriz66/ |
| Lenny Schafer | Velvet Red Raspberry Cheesecake | It all started with an easy bake oven at the age of 6. Decades and a restaurant management career later, Lenny Schafer and his wife, Juli, own Sweet Reasons Crazy Good Cupcakes & Desserts in Fredericksburg, VA. The bakery is a from-scratch, all-natural, fun place to call work. |
| Marleigh Ferguson | Gingerbread | I’ve been baking for six years. I started just doing my family’s birthday cakes. I put a dragon on one sisters cake and flowers and masks on the others. I started doing cupcakes in the last two years. I have even won a small contest. I love baking a lot and I thought that this would be fun |
| Michelle Christian | Raspberry Coconut Snowball | Got Cakes and Company is a home-based business established in 2007. We had been doing business as ‘its something different’. As the sole proprietor, I have been baking since 1985 and truly enjoyed creating my unique cupcakes for the Cupcake Cocktail Hour Event last year. This year we hope to give cupcake lovers the same wonderful taste experience. |
| Renee Reynolds | Samoa | My name is Renee Reynolds and I am an aspiring dessert artist. I currently own a small event planning company and am in the process of expanding into a full dessert line. I have taken classes, to include a course at L’Adademie de Cuisine, and absolutely LOVE to see people smile when they taste my desserts! Some of my favorite things to make are lemon curd, pralines, and anything with mango, a love from my Jamaican heritage! I hope that you all will love them too! Please visit my website at http://www.dulceMINAevents.com! |
| Sandy Schmuff | Peppermint Stick | I have been baking for my family and friends for years, about 3 years ago I began to take it serious and started taking classes and attending events. The first event I entered was the 2011 Cupcake Challenge. Experimenting with flavors and products is exciting, fun and I am always excited to learn or try something new. Everything about cakes is my passion, from the supplies to the finished products. |
| Tamara Chan | Dark Hot Chocolate | – |
| Tamara Wilson | Chocolate Bliss Peppermint | Tamara Wilson, a graphic designer by trade, and Emily Baird, a recent graduate of Longwood University are two unique individuals with a passion for art and a love for delectable desserts! After working together designing a local magazine, both decided to pursue another interest… creating cake pops. A new trend in the baking industry, both Tamara and Emily decided that could use their artistic abilities and discriminating palate to explore the POPsibilities and make cake pops for the world to enjoy. alexandriacakepops.com | alexandriacakepops.com/apps/blog | Follow us at #thecakepopgirls |
| Trevor Burroughs | Gingerbread with Lemon Curd | Trevor Burroughs, The Cake Guy, has been featured on Food Network’s Sweet Genius TV show and provides dessert catering out of his house. |
Spring Spectacles
1st Place, Amateur– Pomegranite Margarita by Holly Lambert
1st Place, Professional– Chocolate Covered Coconut Robin’s Egg by Monica Pearson
(Please note that Monica was also a defending 2011 NCACS Cupcake Challenge Champion!)
| BAKER | 2012 FLAVOR ENTRY | BAKER’S BIO |
|---|---|---|
| Adrienne Bushrod | Raspberry Lemonade and Cherry Blossom |
I have always loved to bake and once I completed my degree, I was able to explore my creative side by taking the Wilton classes at my local Michaels. I like using my artistic side to show my vision through sweets. This is my second time being part of the cupcake challenge and I look forward to the excitement. |
| Amy DeMarco | Cherry Almond Vanilla | Try Blondie’s Sweets! My name is Amy DeMarco and I’ve been baking my whole life. Over the years, I have always been the one to bring sweets to events whether it be family holidays, weekend getaways, special events, etc. Recently, from the urging of my fiancé’s family, I have decided to take the next step and try opening my own baking company entitled Blondie’s Sweets. For now I will be operating out of my home, but depending on how business goes, I will be opening a bakery somewhere in the Leesburg, VA area! If you have any special events coming up (birthdays, graduation parties, religious events, etc.), let me know and I will bake something special! Contact me at BlondiesSweets@gmail.com. |
| Angela DiTrani | Chocolate Coconut | From the time I was in elementary school, I’ve enjoyed baking; “Angela’s Chocolate Chip cookies” were asked for at any family gathering. When my family purchased our first home computer, I made my own business cards and a brochure for “Angela’s Bake Shop” to hand out just for fun, always thinking how much I would love to someday have my own bakery. As the years have passed, I’ve expanded upon my skills to include cake decorating and most recently have added a variety of cupcakes to the list of treats that I create. I am currently in the process of starting a home-based bakery. |
| Caroline Litt | Cherry Blossom | – |
| Casey Martinez | Spring Cupcake | I love to BAKE! I am 13 years old and would love to become a professional baker because baking is my PASSION! I won’t let anyone put me down! Thank you for this opportunity!” |
| Chandni Bhatia | Strawberry Fields Forever | Having always had quite the sweet-tooth since childhood, baking has been a passion of mine since the age of 12. First starting off with pancake and Betty Crockery cake mixes, I have progressed into baking fun and original cupcakes, donuts, cookies, and other sweet treats all with a little bit of “scratch only” snobbery  The inspirations for my baked goods come from all aspects of my life – my love for cultures, music, people and all things cute and funky! Today, I consider myself an amateur baker, baking simply for fun, to feed others, and to release delicious creativity. |
| Cherlanda Fowlkes | Sweet and Salty Lemon Passion | A baker from the HEART. I grew up being a taste tester in my grandmothers kitchen. I learned the art of baking from her. To achieve the art of baking and cake decorating even further i took up baking courses in high school, completed 1,2,and 3 wilton cake decorating courses. I am currently a cake decorator at bj’s wholesale club, and a wilton method cake decorating instructor. I plan to continue my dream of owning my own Sweet-Tumms Bakery. |
| Colleen Jay | Arnold Palmer cupcakes | – |
| Emily Baird | German Chocolate Easter Egg Nests | The DC area has been swept up in a cake pop craze thanks to two women with an eye for design, a prowess for business and treats that can’t be topped. The Cake Pop Girls (as they are known to their rapidly expanding list of clientele), Emily Baird and Tamara Wilson, have ventured together to start the wildly popular, Alexandria Cake Pop Company, located in Alexandria, Virginia. Both graphic designers by trade, the Cake Pop Girls have found a niche market in coupling delectable designs with creative concoctions.According to Tamara and Emily, there’s one thing that never goes out of style – and it’s giving back. That’s why Alexandria Cake Pop Company donates 5 percent of all sales to the non-profit Operation Second Chance which supports wounded, injured, or ill combat veterans.Want to know more about the Cake Pop Girls and their creative, customizable creations? Check out the latest designs at www.alexandriacakepops.com or follow them on Twitter @thecakepopgirls. |
| Holly Lambert | Pomegranite Margarita | Holly Lambert is a 30-something amateur baker from Capitol Hill in DC who has been baking for 10 years. Her specialties are cheesecake, layer cakes, and of course cupcakes. Most of her creations make their way to work, where colleagues get to enjoy the fruits of her labors. In fact, it is their frequent comments that she should do this professionally that inspired her to enter this competition, which is her first! |
| Jene LaDue | Guinness Beer | I’ve always been an artistic person, but I never knew quite how to express myself. Then, I started baking and getting into cake decorating and I absolutely fell in love! After moving a few times with my military husband of 10 years, we have found our home in the D.C. area. Be sure to look me up if you are in need of some sweet treats! www.TheFrostedButterfly.com |
| Kimberly McDonald | Lemon Champagne with Raspberry | Kimberly McDonald, Owner of Simply Desserts has been a self taught baker for over 30 years. She started her business after her daughter left for college over 4 years ago. Kimberly loves creating “desserts with taste” by combining unique flavors. Simply Desserts provides wedding cakes, custom 3D cakes, all occasion cakes, cupcakes, cookies, etc. Simply Desserts website is www.simplydessertsonline.com. |
| Kyle Downes | Strawberry Cheesecake | I have an Associates degree in Patisserie and Baking from Pittsburgh’s Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute. I have previously worked as a pastry chef at The Trellis Restaurant in Williamsburg and Schlesinger’s in Newport News. My current job as a grill/line cook at Firebirds has taken me away from the pastry field. I still enjoy baking as much as I can. I entered the cupcake challenge last year, and am looking forward to this years contest. |
| Linda McLean | Carrot with Orange Marmalade | I have been baking cakes as long I can remember. I learned from my Aunt a long time ago that a good cake comes from the heart. I began cake decorating about ten years ago because I love icing and wanted to learn how to make bakery style icing. I have a degree in Graphic Design and what better way to put my two skills together. |
| Lora Gookin | Pineapple Passion | “I have been baking creatively for 9 years. It all began with a cake decorating book my mom gave me, when I was planning my daughter’s first birthday. The cake was a success. I was working in a very technical field, but now I had designed and constructed an edible structure. A new skill and passion were born. I launched Gateau in 2008, but I felt something was missing – a background in pastry. I enrolled in the Pastry School at the Le Cordon Bleu College in Scottsdale, Arizona. I was taught by some of the top pastry chefs in the business, and my baking skills and knowledge expanded exponentially. My technical and art background are invaluable to my work, as is my strong understanding of the science of baking. www.1gateau.com & www.facebook.com/1gateau |
| Michelle Gregory | Cherry Blossom (with Strawberry) | Baking since I was about 12-years old. I have a love of all things cakes. Getting into decorating has been very fun and challenging and I learn something new every day. |
| Monica Pearson | Chocolate Covered Coconut Robin’s Egg | Monica is owner of Monica’s Sugar Studio LLC located in Southern Washington County MD opening this Spring. She has 13 years baking experience for award winning caterers and restaurants and combines her knowledge of baking with her artistic talent to create beautiful melt-in-your mouth confections. She was also last years “‘Best Professional Cupcake” winner, so make sure you get a taste this year! www.monicassugarstudio.com |
| Sandy Schmuff | Orange Creamsicle | I have been baking for my family and friends for years, about 3 years ago I began to take it serious and started taking classes and attending events. The first event I entered was the 2011 Cupcake Challenge. Experimenting with flavors and products is exciting, fun and I am always excited to learn or try something new. Everything about cakes is my passion, from the supplies to the finished products. |
| Sally Parker | Garden of Eatin’ (Carrot Cake) | – |
| Shana Moore | Lemon Lavender | “Pipsqueak Cupcakes was founded by Shana Moore, a college graduate from UC San Diego with a passion for baking. Shana has been baking recreationally for years, pleasing the taste buds of her friends, family, and a few lucky strangers. She first got the urge to pursue baking as a career while she was in college, when her cakes were in demand for friends’ birthdays and events. But, she fell victim to pushing her dreams aside in pursuit of climbing the corporate ladder. After two years of working a desk job, and taking a trip to New York City where she stumbled upon several cupcakeries, Shana realized that she too could follow her dreams, succeed, AND be happy! So, instead of pursuing more traditional schooling, she decided to enroll in culinary school where she now studies Baking and Pastry Arts. “ |
| Wanda Cushing | Cherry Blossom with Sake Icing | I have been decorating cakes for 25 years. Only seriously in the past 10 years or so. |
Sweet Summer
1st Place, Amateur– Rootbeer Float by Deanna Rybak
1st Place, Professional– Peach Cobbler by Lora Gookin
| BAKER | 2012 FLAVOR ENTRY | BAKER’S BIO |
|---|---|---|
| Angela James-Butler | Strawberry Lemonade | – |
| Candra Callicott | Strawberry Delight | My name is Candra and my experience as a baker began as a teenager, however I do consider myself an amateur. I love to bake, and over the past couple of years, baking has become my outlet, fun time, and stress reliever away from my full time work at a local law enforcement agency as well as a little break sometimes from caring for my son, who has a diagnosis of cerebral palsy. I enjoy baking cupcakes, brownie pops, pies, cookies and cakes for friends, special occasions and during the holidays for my son’s classroom. Last year, I enjoyed taking the Wilton’s cake decorating classes and thus was able to enhance my baking knowledge and decorating skills. This is the first time I am entering a contest and I hope the cupcakes are enjoyable to all !!! Thank you for this opportunity. |
| Catherine Baroang | Piñajito (pineapple mojito) | – |
| Deanna Rybak | Rootbeer Float | Originally from Chicago, Deanna learned all of her baking skills from her mother. She grew up creating new recipes and experimenting with different flavors. A few years ago she moved to the Northern Virginia area where she enjoys making cupcakes for her co-workers and for her fiancé’s students at Woodbridge Middle School. |
| Elaine Nuzzaco | Lavender with Lime | – |
| Erica Bennett | Key Lime Coconut | I started baking in December 2011 while on the hunt for a new hobby to cope with work related anxiety. Unexpectedly, I fell in love with it very shortly after giving it a try! |
| Joel Gill | Strawberry Lemonade | Joel Gill Jr. is a 24 year old food lover with no professional experience in baking. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Joel always loved to be around food. He watches a lot of shows on the Food Network and the Cooking Channel. He loves to cook and bake to share with family and friends. Joel has been cooking for years, but really got into baking November 2011. He loves to experiment with different flavors, and textures. He always tries to think “outside the box” with some of his creations. He believes in taking a single element and idea, and building around it to make it more complex. He prides himself in having his friends/coworkers to be his “tasters”. Currently he works as an IT consultant. He hopes to have his own baking business someday. He takes pictures of his creations and post them on his facebook page at: www.facebook.com/josiesconfections. |
| Lamorea Stanton | Mojito Ombre | “Greetings everyone! My name is Lamorea Stanton and I’m the sole baker and owner of That’s So Morie Cupcakes. That’s So Morie Cupcakes is a special order cupcake business specializing in homemade cupcakes (& cookies) with delectable frostings…all made from scratch! I am a self taught baker, but I plan to take culinary baking courses and become ‘educated’ in the fall of 2012, once I complete my MBA this spring. Baking is therapeutic for me and I know it sounds cliché’ but it’s the truth; Give me my Kitchen Aid, eggs, sugar, flour, butter, a few other key (quality) ingredients and my music flow and I’m good to go! What I create is through a passion of mine and I’m so happy to be able to share it with you…Enjoy! |
| Lora Gookin | Peach Cobbler | “I have been baking creatively for 9 years. It all began with a cake decorating book my mom gave me, when I was planning my daughter’s first birthday. The cake was a success. I was working in a very technical field, but now I had designed and constructed an edible structure. A new skill and passion were born. I launched Gateau in 2008, but I felt something was missing – a background in pastry. I enrolled in the Pastry School at the Le Cordon Bleu College in Scottsdale, Arizona. I was taught by some of the top pastry chefs in the business, and my baking skills and knowledge expanded exponentially. My technical and art background are invaluable to my work, as is my strong understanding of the science of baking. www.1gateau.com and www.facebook.com/1gateau” |
| Marleigh Ferguson | Strawberry-Raspberry | I’ve been baking for six years. I started just doing my family’s birthday cakes. I put a dragon on one sisters cake and flowers and masks on the others. I started doing cupcakes in the last two years. I have even won a small contest. I love baking a lot and I thought that this would be fun |
| Michelle Proulx | Cherry Limeade | While I may teach science during the day, by night I enjoy using my chemistry skills to whip up a new cupcake recipe. My specialty is using alcohol in recipes and almost every time I try a new drink or beer, my first thought is “what type of cupcake could this make?” My goal for the year has been to make one new cupcake recipe every week… which has been a challenge! I am looking forward to another cupcake challenge. For more information, please see my blog www.cupcakeaweek.com |
| Nakisha Adams | Pina Colada | My name is Nakisha Adams and I have been baking for many years. In 2011 I decided to share my passion for baking with the public and started my own business The Cake Spot. The Cake Spot is a delivery only business the is located in Fredericksburg, VA. Our menu features a variety of decadent cakes, cupcakes, and other sweets. All cakes are made from scratch the day of delivery to ensure the freshest quality. Check out our website thecakespotva.com and follow us on Facebook! |
| Nancy Aispuro | Vanilla Mango Mousse | – |
| Renee Reynolds | Blue Hawaiian | My name is Renee Reynolds and I am an aspiring dessert artist. I currently own a small event planning company and am in the process of expanding into a full dessert line. I have taken classes, to include a course at L’Adademie de Cuisine, and absolutely LOVE to see people smile when they taste my desserts! Some of my favorite things to make are lemon curd, pralines, and anything with mango, a love from my Jamaican heritage! I hope that you all will love them too! Please visit my website at http://www.dulceMINAevents.com! |
| Ruth Acors | S’mores | I’m a thirteen year old aspiring baker who’s taken cake decorating courses. Since I was a kid, I’ve always loved baking. |
| Sandy Schmuff | Pink Lemonade | I have been baking for my family and friends for years, about 3 years ago I began to take it serious and started taking classes and attending events. The first event I entered was the 2011 Cupcake Challenge. Experimenting with flavors and products is exciting, fun and I am always excited to learn or try something new. Everything about cakes is my passion, from the supplies to the finished products. |
| Shalonda Scott | Pineapple Cream-wave | Shalonda Scott has always had a inquisitive nature for science and baking. Her early interest was awarded in middle school with a first place ribbon in a regional Girl Scout Bake Off (cake edition). Years later, Shalonda rekindled her hobby of baking in the fall of 2010 when she brought cupcakes to an office meeting on election day. Everyone was so impressed and excited that their coworker had baked and designed them herself, they were instant fans. Shalonda’s cupcakes were instantly in demand, and with the support of her close friends and months of experimentation with recipes, the launch of her hobby, ShoSho Couture (patent pending) was born. Her cupcakes rose to the occasion for baby showers, birthday parties, baptisms, holidays and more. Shalonda’s cupcakes are from scratch and she’s spends as much time and thought to the texture and taste as to the unique and edible designs. The key to Shalonda’s flavors and flar e is that the cupcakes taste great and embody the theme and nature of the event. Shalonda plans to launch her hobby into a small business to serve her custom confections to the many inquisitive and adventurous palates of today. |
| Sierra Reece | Mango Coconut Cream | I’m 15 and a freshman and high school and I’ve been baking for 2 years. I view cupcakes as a way to make people happy and not just as a food. My ultimate goal one day is to change to world one cupcake at a time, by putting smiles on people’s faces who really need it, and to just a make the world a better and happier places. |
| Stacey Boyd | Berry Pavlova | “Sweets are my passion! After working at Blacksalt restaurant and Windows Catering as a pastry assistant, I decided to start my own cake business at home and put my skills to work creating cakes and developing my own line of specialty cupcakes. I have loved every minute of it. I travel every fall to arts and craft fairs in the area selling my cupcake line which has sold out most shows. My cakes and gingerbread houses have won awards in various cake shows. What I love most is the opportunity to be creative! Www.confettikitchen.com |
Fabulous Fall Flavors
1st Place, Amateur– Caramel Apple Pie by Deanna Rybak
1st Place, Professional– Pecan Pie by Stacey Boyd
| BAKER | 2012 FLAVOR ENTRY | BAKER’S BIO |
|---|---|---|
| Alison Friedlander | Bananas Foster | – |
| Amy DeMarco | Classic Carrot | Try Blondie’s Sweets! My name is Amy DeMarco and I’ve been baking my whole life. Over the years, I have always been the one to bring sweets to events whether it be family holidays, weekend getaways, special events, etc. Recently, from the urging of my fiancé’s family, I have decided to take the next step and try opening my own baking company entitled Blondie’s Sweets. For now I will be operating out of my home, but depending on how business goes, I will be opening a bakery somewhere in the Leesburg, VA area! If you have any special events coming up (birthdays, graduation parties, religious events, etc.), let me know and I will bake something special! Contact me at BlondiesSweets@gmail.com. |
| Angela DiTrani | Pumpkin Cheesecake Surprise | From the time I was in elementary school, I’ve enjoyed baking; “Angela’s Chocolate Chip cookies” were asked for at any family gathering. When my family purchased our first home computer, I made my own business cards and a brochure for “Angela’s Bake Shop” to hand out just for fun, always thinking how much I would love to someday have my own bakery. As the years have passed, I’ve expanded upon my skills to include cake decorating and most recently have added a variety of cupcakes to the list of treats that I create. I am currently in the process of starting a home-based bakery. |
| Angela James-Butler | Caramel Apple with Nuts | – |
| Becky Rink | Gluten Free Chai Brown Butter Meringue | – |
| Deanna Rybak | Caramel Apple Pie | Originally from Chicago, Deanna learned all of her baking skills from her mother. She grew up creating new recipes and experimenting with different flavors. A few years ago she moved to the Northern Virginia area where she enjoys making cupcakes for her co-workers and for her fiancé’s students at Woodbridge Middle School. |
| Elizabeth Claeyssen | Sweet Potato | Elizabeth Claeyssen began baking about 2 years ago. For her baking is more than just making something tasty, it’s a stress reliever, a sort of spa. She has been dreaming of baking since she began watching the Food Network 20 years ago when she first moved to the United States from Peru. Two years ago she decided to take classes at Michael s and started practicing doing cakes and cupcakes for her friends and coworkers and now has her Facebook site where she takes small orders for anything from cupcakes to yule logs and Peruvian deserts, as she continues to perfect her craft. Check out her site, Liz’s Sweets: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lizs-Sweets/175132519196836 |
| Inayah Zaman | Caramel Apple Spice | “I started baking a little more than a year ago. Believe it or not, I was the type to burn everything but all of a sudden, something in my head clicked and I’ve been baking these little delicacies since! I believe that food is a medium for us to share ourselves with others. Being able to express myself in my baking has become an important aspect of my life, as well as, seeing the joy in others when they experience something made with my own two hands. My family calls me Ini at home as a pet name and so some time in the future, I hope to open my own bakery and call it “”Ini Mini Cupcakery.”" I hope that my entry conveys the care and love that goes into each of my desserts. This is my story, now is my moment… I’ll laugh, I’ll sing and I’ll BAKE. I do not have a website but this is my cake central blog: http://cakecentral.com/gallery/user/tigeriz66/ |
| Juanita Holloway | Maple & Rum Flavored Pumpkin | I’ve been decorating for about 10 yrs. I do cake decorating as a hobby but hope to do it full time when I retire in a couple of years. I have been taking lots of classes which all of them have been great. I am a member of ICES and the alternate representative of MICES. |
| Keisha Stubbs | Pumpkin Spice | – |
| Kyle Downes | Chocolate Bacon Chipotle | I have an Associates degree in Patisserie and Baking from Pittsburgh’s Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute. I have previously worked as a pastry chef at The Trellis Restaurant in Williamsburg and Schlesinger’s in Newport News. My current job as a grill/line cook at Firebirds has taken me away from the pastry field. I still enjoy baking as much as I can. I entered the cupcake challenge last year, and am looking forward to this years contest. |
| Lenny Schafer | Maple Brown Sugar Bacon | It all started with an easy bake oven at the age of 6. Decades and a restaurant management career later, Lenny Schafer and his wife, Juli, own Sweet Reasons Crazy Good Cupcakes & Desserts in Fredericksburg, VA. The bakery is a from-scratch, all-natural, fun place to call work. |
| Michelle Christian | Pecan Pie | Got Cakes and Company is a home-based business established in 2007. We had been doing business as ‘its something different’. As the sole proprietor, I have been baking since 1985 and truly enjoyed creating my unique cupcakes for the Cupcake Cocktail Hour Event last year. This year we hope to give cupcake lovers the same wonderful taste experience. |
| Michelle Proulx | Chocolate Punkin | While I may teach science during the day, by night I enjoy using my chemistry skills to whip up a new cupcake recipe. My specialty is using alcohol in recipes and almost every time I try a new drink or beer, my first thought is “what type of cupcake could this make?” My goal for the year has been to make one new cupcake recipe every week… which has been a challenge! I am looking forward to another cupcake challenge. For more information, please see my blog www.cupcakeaweek.com |
| Nancy Aispuro | Brown Sugar Peacan Pie | Baking is therapeutic for me and I know it sounds cliché’ but it’s the truth; Give me my Kitchen Aid, eggs, sugar, flour, butter, a few other key (quality) ingredients and my music flow and I’m good to go! What I create is through a passion of mine and I’m so happy to be able to share it with you…Enjoy! |
| Sandy Schmuff | Pumpkin | I have been baking for my family and friends for years, about 3 years ago I began to take it serious and started taking classes and attending events. The first event I entered was the 2011 Cupcake Challenge. Experimenting with flavors and products is exciting, fun and I am always excited to learn or try something new. Everything about cakes is my passion, from the supplies to the finished products. |
| Stacey Boyd | Pecan pie | “Sweets are my passion! After working at Blacksalt restaurant and Windows Catering as a pastry assistant, I decided to start my own cake business at home and put my skills to work creating cakes and developing my own line of specialty cupcakes. I have loved every minute of it. I travel every fall to arts and craft fairs in the area selling my cupcake line which has sold out most shows. My cakes and gingerbread houses have won awards in various cake shows. What I love most is the opportunity to be creative! www.confettikitchen.com |
| Tracy Fuller | Red Wine Poached Pear | Chef Tracy started working for Simply Desserts after graduating from Stratford University Culinary School in 2011. She won a bronze medal at the ACF Chesapeake Culinary Cup in 2011. Chef Tracy loves the sweet creative challenge of achieving great tasting and even better looking desserts. Her work can be found on Simply Desserts, www.simplydessertsonline.com. |
| Shana Moore | Blueberry Bacon | “Pipsqueak Cupcakes was founded by Shana Moore, a college graduate from UC San Diego with a passion for baking. Shana has been baking recreationally for years, pleasing the taste buds of her friends, family, and a few lucky strangers. She first got the urge to pursue baking as a career while she was in college, when her cakes were in demand for friends’ birthdays and events. But, she fell victim to pushing her dreams aside in pursuit of climbing the corporate ladder. After two years of working a desk job, and taking a trip to New York City where she stumbled upon several cupcakeries, Shana realized that she too could follow her dreams, succeed, AND be happy! So, instead of pursuing more traditional schooling, she decided to enroll in culinary school where she now studies Baking and Pastry Arts. “ |
| Whitney Pope | Pumpkin Walnut Spiced Caramel | I am Whitney Pope, Age 20. Currently residing in Hampton, Va. Since Gratuating high school in 2010, I have had the honor to work will well accomplished Chefs through my time with the Culinary Program C-Cap. I have worked for Farm fresh as a Bakery clerk, Impressional Sweets as a Pasrty Apprentice and now BJ’s Wholesale Club as a full-time Baker. I am Currently attending Tidewater Community College and will be gratuating this fall with an Assocites in applied Science Dergee in Culinary Arts. My Goals for the future are to master the Culinary Artistry the pastry Field has to offer and to own my own successful bakery. |