Remember how a few weeks ago I mentioned finding jewelry info in a book of essays? Well, I found another odd place of inspiration: Ace of Cakes by Duff Goldman and Willie Goldman.
Here's the obvious jewelry connection: Mary Alice met Duff when she was
in the
dorms and dropped her mother's pearl necklace (borrowed without
permission!) down the sink. He rescues it and they become friends.
Other parallels between jewelry design and cake decorating include
creativity and a love of tools. (I was amazed to learn about FoodWriter
markers filled with food coloring. I want those!)
Favorite Quotes
Katherine: "You'll be brainstorming about a design and think, Oh, and then I'll cover it in sequins, only to remember that sequins are inedible and some people may not like having them all over their dessert."
Sherri: "As a student at Purchase College, my main area of study was sculpture, so I tend to approach the materials at the bakery as if they were more traditional sculptural media. Fondant works a lot like Sculpey (polymer clay), modeling chocolate has the flexibility of clay (but not the stability), and cake itself can be carved like wood or stone (but you have to talk to it nicely)."
Duff: "It's like every day is arts-and-crafts day. How much fun is
that?"
The Last Word
This book is not a cookbook; it concentrates on the designers
and the Charm City Cakes shop. I found it to be a fascinating look a small, creative
business. Any business owner who wants to motivate people to do their
best work, take risks, trust each other and work as a team could learn
something from this book.
Oh, and I also learned that Duff knows how to weave. He writes, "I even had an inkle loom and learned to weave. Yeah, I said inkle loom—you got a problem with that?"
No, no problem at all, Duff. Weaving seems a fitting hobby for someone as warped as you!