1/18/12

It’s been an exciting year so far!  The first of the year my Undersea Sugar Bubble cake was featured in the ICES Magazine and I was accepted to teach a demo at the ICES convention in Reno this August on blown sugar dolphins, swans, and hummingbirds.  Can’t wait to get out west!  We had a wonderful time at the Florida ICES Mini Classes in Orlando.  There were 3 days of classes with spectacular sugar teachers from all over the country.  One of the highlights of the event for me was getting to teach Norm Davis to make a sugar bubble!  It was great to see all of our cake friends and family and we roomed with our great friends!  Next we headed over to the Festival of Chocolate at the MOSI Tampa to teach a few classes in tempering, blown sugar, and chocolate garnishes.  While we were there we checked out the Cocoa Couture Fashion Show dresses.  They were actually made out of chocolate candy wrappers and real chocolate.  And from Food Network fame, Paul Joachim was creating a life size cake sculpture of a beautiful woman.  He created his structure out of PVC, cake, then a ganache icing that in the end looked like bronze.  He left the back open so everyone knew it was cake and not metal!  He even invented techniques to create her legs.  It was a beautiful piece of art!  The next Festival of Chocolate will be at the UCF Arena April 27-29.  Check them out at www.festivalofchocolate.com

 

Is everyone getting ready for the Florida ICED Cake Competition in Ocala?  The theme this year is Masquerade Ball!  There are incredible prizes, gallery, classes, demos, vendors, live challenge, kid’s corner and so much more.  Get your registrations in as there are only 175 spots open for competition.  Register here at www.floridaiced.com  

 

And the Florida ICED is in need of Volunteers!!!! They need volunteers to help with ICED and would appreciate your amazing time to make it a great show. They will not be successful without volunteers! They would need you both days and part of a day or full. The first 30 volunteers will get free shirts, masks, beads, & bags of small goodies sent to us from our show sponsors! Free admission to the show all weekend. This does not include demo classes. So please let them know by contacting KNast7@gmail.com or MaureeWoodsFL@aol.com or RLMenz@yahoo.com with any questions about helping out.

 

We enjoy teaching for Josie and Jerry Jennings at Icing on the Cake in Ocala.  They have a brand new website and will be holding great classes and opening their online supply store.  Check them out at: 

http://icingonthecakeclasses.com/index.html

 

We are excited to announce that Tami Utley, from Yummy Arts, will be back at Simi Cakes to teach again this November!  And Lisa Menz, Florida ICED Chairwoman, will be teaching her beautiful Sugar Veil Shoe this summer with us.  Keep checking the website for updates and class announcements.  As soon as we have the date it will be posted. 

 

Here is our spring schedule.  We will be adding classes soon so check back often.  If you have an event you would like added, or would like to sign up for a class and get more information, please email us at info@simicakes.com

 

Feb 5-Sunday-Ocala at Icing on the Cake with Sidney Galpern www.simicakes.com
10-11:30am-  Airbrushing 101-learn the basics to airbrushing, shading, stenciling, care and cleaning and more
12-3pm-        Advanced Airbrush-creating your own plastic stencils and carving and airbrushing a dragon head
3:15-5:15-     Elegant Chocolate Garnishes-Fancy fans, curls, and carnations with a sweep of your hand-fun with a pallet knife and tempering

Feb 10 Friday-Palm Bay at Simi Cakes www.simicakes.com 
1-3pm-         Homeschool Cake Class-Fondant Dogs

Feb 17 Friday-Pensacola-Patrice Drinkard teaching at the Panhandle Cake CRUMBS Competition www.patricespieces.org
All Day Class- Gumpaste Celebration Masks

Feb 18 Saturday-Palm Bay at Simi Cakes www.simicakes.com
10-12pm-Fondant Model Dogs
12:30-5:30pm-Carved Dog Cake- Carve, stack, and decorate a 2 foot 3-D dog cake

March 4-Sunday-Ocala at Icing on the Cake with Sidney Galpern www.simicakes.com
10-12pm-      Henna Cakes-Learn Henna Techniques to decorate ornate cakes
12:30-5:30-   Topsy Turvy Cakes-Build a 3 Tier Topsy Turvy Cake with a Cherry Blossom Theme-5 hours

March 9 Friday-Palm Bay at Simi Cakes www.simicakes.com 
1-3pm-         Homeschool Cake Class-Fondant Dragons

March 31 Ocala-Florida ICED Cake Competition-Simi Cakes & Confections  www.floridaiced.com
9-11am-        Carved Pillow Cakes-Michelle Galpern
3-4:30pm-     Undersea Cake with Blown Sugar Dolphin-Sidney Galpern

April 1 Ocala-Florida ICED Cake Competition www.floridaiced.com
10:45-11:45-  Mold Making-Michelle Galpern
1-3pm-          Gumpaste Tropical Flowers-Sidney Galpern

April 13 Friday-Palm Bay at Simi Cakes www.simicakes.com
1-3pm-         Homeschool Cake Class-Edible Origami

April 14 Saturday-Palm Bay at Simi Cakes www.simicakes.com
10-12pm-      Airbrushing 101 learn the basics to airbrushing, shading, stenciling, care and cleaning and more –
2:15-2:15-     Henna Cakes- Learn Henna Techniques to decorate ornate cakes
2:30-4:30-     Elegant Chocolate Garnishes-Fans, Curls, Carnations.  Fun with a Pallet Knife and tempering

April 27-29-Orlando-Festival of Chocolate with Sidney Galpern www.festivalofchocolate.com
Class schedule TBA

May 6 Sunday-Ocala-Icing on the Cake with Sidney Galpern www.simicakes.com
10-1pm-        Blown Sugar Animals:  Create Beautiful Dolphin, Swans, and Humming Birds-Advanced Sugar Class
1:30-6:30-     3 Tiered Pillow Cake-Carve, decorate, and assemble a beautiful 3 tier pillow cake

May 11 Friday-Palm Bay at Simi Cakes www.simicakes.com
1-3pm-         Homeschool Cake Class-Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, and Graduation

May 19 Saturday-Palm Bay at Simi Cakes www.simicakes.com
10-12pm-      Model Dragons
12:30-5:30-   3 Tiered Pillow Cake-Carve, Decorate, and assemble a beautiful 3 tier pillow cake

June 3 Sunday-Ocala-Icing on the Cake with Sidney Galpern www.simicakes.com
10-12pm-      Dog Modeling Class-Create several fondant model dogs
12:30-5:30-   Carved Dog Cake-Carve, stack, and decorate a 2 foot 3-D dog cake

June 9 Saturday-Palm Bay at Simi Cakes www.simicakes.com
10-12pm-      Edible Origami and Gelatin Bows

12:30-5:30-   Topsy Turvy 3 Tiered Cake with a Cherry Blossom Theme

Summer TBA-Palm Bay at Simi Cakes with Lisa Menz www.simicakes.com

Aug 4 Saturday-Reno, NV-ICES Convention www.ices.org
12:30-1:30-   Blown Sugar Dolphins, Swans, and Humming Birds by Sidney Galpern

 Nov TBA-Palm Bay-Tami Utely returns to Simi Cakes!  www.simicakes.com

                   Watch for updates!

More Summer and Fall Classes being announced soon for Ocala, West Palm Beach, Palm Bay, Alabama, and Greensboro, NC. 

Dates TBA:

Advanced Airbrush-creating your own stencils and carving and airbrushing a dragon head

Beer Bottle/Wine Glass Molding Class

Cake Skeletons-How to build PVC Structures for Incredible Carved Cakes

Edible Origami and Gelatin Bows

Blown Sugar Animals

Sugar Showpieces

Chocolate Showpieces

Basic Blown, Cast, and Pulled Sugar Classes returning

And watch for dates for Simi Cakes Kid’s Camp this summer!

Cake Tip:  We use a small stick on bubble level, found in the RV section of any Wal-Mart, attached to a very straight ruler to make sure all our cakes are completely level.  Because they are so inexpensive, we put several around the bakery so we always have one close at hand. 

Keep Life Sweet!

Sidney and Michelle

http://www.simicakes.com/

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1/5/12

Hi Everyone!

Happy New year! My new years resolution this year was to blog more.  I decided that with all the traveling I do I would interview some of the fantastic and talented people I have met,  as well as share my experiences on the road and in the bakery with you!

Below is an interview I did with Christine “Tiney” Campanelli from Tiney’s Bakeshop! I met Christine in July of 2010, when I interned at Cake Alchemy in NYC.  She is a great teacher and showed me tons of tips and tricks in cake decorating and sugar art! Christine has worked in high-end cake shops such as Carlo’s Bakery and Cake Alchemy, and now owns one of her own.  She has started producing instructional videos along with making incredible cakes and cupcakes.  Enjoy! J

 

Sidney- What’s your favorite flavor?

Christine-To make or to eat? lol I enjoy making new flavors. Also, baking coconut and lemon cakes are fun because the batter smells so good. 🙂 My favorite thing to make, though, is actually Italian Buttercream. I love the way it comes together at the end– it’s like magic every time when it whips together.

 

 

Sidney- What brought you to the idea to make your own tv show?

Christine-The show idea was something I’ve had in the back of my mind for a while now. A good friend of mine, who was –and sometimes still is– a cameraman for Cake Boss, and I tossed around the idea over dinner one night, and things sort-of took shape.

 

 

Sidney– What are the hardest parts and the easiest parts about making your videos?

Christine- The hardest part was getting all the logistics together (time, place, equipment, man power) and coming up with a script that we thought people would enjoy. The easiest part was being myself and teaching– something I love to do!

 

 

Sidney- What do you have in mind for upcoming tutorials?

Christine- I’d love to do more– one on making a small wedding/engagement cake.. a baby shower cake… holiday cakes… etc. I feel like people are really into cake decorating right now (see # of cake/cupcake shows on reality tv), but there’s not really a format on tv for showing people HOW to do it. I’d love to be the person who teaches people how to decorate and do other artistic things in their own homes/kitchens.

 

 

Sidney– What’s your favorite medium to work with?

Christine- I enjoy using fondant and painting on cakes with food coloring. At the moment, I don’t use as much gum paste and modeling chocolate as I use to. (I think much of that is because I currently do less sugar flowers than I use to, and I can use the fondant to sculpt.) As you know, I love pulled/blow sugar, but my set up right now is not great for it… (I don’t have a heat lamp) 😦 but soon I’d like to get back to that in a much bigger way.

 

 

Sidney– What are your goals for 2012?

Christine- I’d like to continue to spread the word about my business and see growth in my client base. I’d also like to do more wedding cakes.

 

 

Sidney– What are your goals for the next 5 years?

Christine- Right now, I can see myself opening up a storefront for Tiney’s Bakeshop –but who knows where this road will take me. I’d LOVE to be doing more teaching/filming, but we’ll just have to see how that pans out.. 😉

 

If you asked me that question 5 years ago, I never would have dreamed “I want to be a cake decorator, be on reality television, film my own tv pilot, and own my own business!” haha

 

 

 

Sidney- How did working with Buddy the Cake Boss and Lauri Dutinno influence the direction of your cake decorating?

 

Christine- Working at Buddy’s focused my attention on decorating, specifically fondant. He also taught me how to make dozens of sugar flowers. Working at Lauri’s made me realize that I had the tools, training, and confidence to run my own kitchen.

 

 

Sidney– Who have been the biggest influences in your work?

Christine- Buddy, his team, and all the girls I worked with at Carlo’s were the base of my knowledge and skills, but these days I’m mostly influenced by the talent of others in the world of cake decorating– I’m a big fan of photo sharing sites like Flickr and Pinterest. I am always browsing other people’s cakes, and am constantly in awe of everyone’s creativity. Online, I can see cakes from all over the world– as well as fashions, trends, etc.– which all influence me as a decorator.

 

I’m also getting married in a few months– which means that in my personal time I’m trolling wedding websites and brides magazines. This is so helpful for not just my wedding, but as influence for the wedding cakes I’ll be designing! 🙂

 

 

Sidney– Would you be interested in teaching more of your classes? And if so would you be willing to come to our classroom in Florida??

Christine- I love teaching! Whether on camera or in person, I certainly hope to be able to teach more in the future. When I’m inFlorida next, I certainly plan to stop by and see your shop! 🙂 I’ve has a glimpse or two of it online, and would be delighted to come visit/teach something there if the opportunity presents itself. 🙂

 

 

 

 

To check out Christine’s beautiful work here’s a link to Tiney’s Bakeshop’s website,

http://www.tineysbakeshop.com/

Don’t forget to check out her awesome instructional video!

 

 

Keep life sweet,

Sidney

www.simicakes.com