FULL TIME PERFORMER, PART TIME BAKER. VOL.1

                                                     Cake...Cake...I LOVE CAKE!

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    Whenever there is a celebration, the one item that should always be present is, CAKE! I have always felt that it's an important to have at any celebration, from birthdays to bridal/baby showers, graduations to weddings. You can always theme it based on your celebration or keep it elegant and simple. So many choices, endless possibilities!

   The majority of my baking skills come from my mother and my sister. Since I was little, I always enjoyed hanging out in the kitchen watching my mother whip something up and soon to follow my sister (being five years older than me it was like having another mother when it came to teaching me home activities). Over the years, us three have been bouncing off each other with ideas for decorating parties we host, and recipes for dishes and desserts. It's never a dull moment in the house to say the least. The three of us have incredible talent and resources, and for some time, wonderful ideas have been brewing. Having some knowledge from my brothers, who run restaurants, help too ;). Hopefully in the near future, we can make them come to life!

     In the last couple of years I have had more time to explore and expand my skills in the culinary world, aside from the film and theatre industry. I would like to think I had a strong background from home and school. During the four years I spent in college obtaining my B.F.A., I was consumed in the theatre department. Ask anyone from that school and they would think I lived there! Not only did I enjoy the performance classes along with being apart of many shows, I loved the technical classes. I was obsessed! Still am ;). The smell of sawdust, and the sound of rock n' roll blazing over the speakers with undertones of screw guns and the table saw ripping lumber--ugh-- always was a comfort to me.

Through out the scene shop, even the infamous cherry blossoms.. (I still have a box).

       When I wasn't in the scene shop, I was coming up with make-up design for stage make-up class. My classmates and I loved it so much we pushed for an advance class, where we learned to make our own prosthesis-- and loved it! Building sets, painting flats, texturizing them, hanging/rigging lighting instruments, playing with make-up, building molds, creating props--ALWAYS USING MY HANDS AND IMAGINATION. A great foundation that led me to believe I could take my culinary skills to the next level and also prep my house for hurricane season!!!

Some of my make-up design...need to find more pix!

    So what did I do? Like any student would, I went to the bookstore and began to teach myself (I'll list some of the books that helped me soon). Youtube has also become a convenient source. I'm the weirdo in a casting watching piping technique's before I slate myself on camera. Since then I haven't taken a class in cake decorating or baking.  Not that I don't want to, but because I haven't had time. Now that I closed an extended show run last month, and audition season is slowing down, I've been doing research and getting a group of classes I want to take. Putting them on my to do list. I'm not just taking these classes to improve my skills, but to learn the tricks on the common mishaps that can happen, i.e. easier way to get smooth coverage with sharp edges when using buttercream, or how to prevent cracking with fondant, ect. ect.

    If I could split myself in half, I would send part of me to, The French Culinary Institute, in NYC, and obtain a certification in baking and patisserie! That would be a dream-- BUT NO TIME! So I'm finding any opportunity to find classes that wont take up too much time on career priority number one, performing. I hope to post my progress in cake decorating/designing in the coming months.

   Also while acquiring these skills my sis and I barter and teach each other on our cakes and desserts! My sis is great with rustic style cakes, and seasonal treats. She also makes the best brownies and rice crispy treats-- HANDS DOWN! Of course our creativity was broaden from none other than our, mother. Who to me is like the "Cuban Martha Stewart".  She always has let us play, and still does! From traditional rustic cakes, to the poshly decorated ones. I'd say I'm in good hands.

So below I will present some of my cakes.... Enjoy ;)

Fun With Buttercream and Ganache 

Fun With Piping!

I'll post more cakes soon(fondant cakes and sugar flowers to come!), to be continued...