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Hi there!  I can’t believe we are getting so close to Christmas!  Are you ready?  Did you finish your Christmas shopping?  Well, keep reading, because I am here to help you out with some of those things.

First, I must mention the National Gingerbread Competition one more time.  I have to let you know about the wonderful video that was created by Scott Ewing at ISAC that will give you all the details and photographs for all of the entries at the competition.  It will make you feel like you were actually there at the event.

Click on this Gingerbread Competition link to view the video. If you still don’t have your fill of all things gingerbread, the Food Network is airing the 2018 National Gingerbread competition on Thursday, December 19 at 12:00pm EST.

 As I mentioned earlier, if you haven’t finished your Christmas shopping yet, I have the best solution for what to get your favorite sugar artist!

Hi there!  Do you remember when you were a kid how you got to make those adorable gingerbread houses for your family and friends?  Those houses were decorated with the cutest, most innovative assortment of candies and cookies that you could find.  I have actually made a lot of gingerbread houses for clients and friends and I don’t think I will ever look at a piece of candy or cookie or cereal the same way without thinking….. “how will that look as a roof or window on my gingerbread house?”

Well, I want to tell you about the National Gingerbread Competition that was held on Monday, November 18.  You may already know about this terrific event, but in case you don’t, it takes place every year at this beautiful resort, The Omni Grove Park Inn, which is nestled in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina.  This will be their 27^th year of hosting this event. 

The main lobby of the hotel features a towering Christmas Tree and a seasonal “Gingerbread House Café”.  The café is made of real gingerbread and real “sugar” decorations with cotton candy billowing out of the chimney. Each season the inn staff serve hundreds of gallons of hot chocolate as well as thousands of freshly baked gingerbread cookies to the guest visiting and staying at the inn. 

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! 

From Nicholas, Scott and the ISAC Team!

Hello!  Did you have a chance to attend the Grand Holiday Open House at ISAC this past weekend?  There was a great turn out of cake decorators and sugar artists for both Saturday and Sunday sessions. There was so much to see and do!  Here is a quick summary of all the activities for the day!  Thank you, Scott Ewing, for the wonderful photographs.

The day began with Rochell Ingram of “My Sweet Connection & Divine Baking Divas” in Studio B.  She showed everyone how to make the most adorable Snow Globe cookie.  These are so cute!!

And she showed you how to create her beautiful Cakesicles.  These things make such cute, bite-size gifts.  They look like a lot of work, but once Rochell demonstrated how to make them, it was so easy!!

Next, the group moved into the ISAC lunchroom for refreshments including the popular, freshly baked ISAC Gingerbread cookie.  Did you know this cookie has been served at every Holiday Open House for the past 16 years?  That is one very popular cookie!!

Next, there was a demonstration by Steven Stellingwerf showing his fast, quick and easy Salted Caramel Chocolate Truffles.  Yummy!!  My mouth is watering just writing about those things!!

Next up was Donald Joiner of Cake Boy Confections.  Donald demonstrated Royal Icing techniques that you can use on cookies or Gingerbread houses.  The houses make great gifts and I can’t wait to try my hand at doing these techniques at home.

Chef Nicholas rounded out the session by showing many different holiday ideas using the new Katy Sue Designs silicon molds; some of these molds were specifically designed by Nicholas Lodge.

All of the best products were on hand to purchase and take home so you could recreate these wonderful projects at home.  If you weren’t able to make it to one of the sessions, you can still purchase some of the supplies at the ISAC online store. 

Until next time, Stay Sweet and Keep Learning!

Hello everyone!  If you were at the Ultimate Sugar Show in Atlanta, Georgia this past weekend, I hope you had a great time!  I sure did!!  I had the opportunity to be at the ISAC vendor booth the whole weekend and talk with a bunch of other sugar lovers.  It was great fun and lots of hard work, but mostly lots of fun!! 

The weekend was full of classes, vendors and sugar competitions, as well as, making new friends and seeing friends of old.  Chef Nicholas was the head judge during the show, and he had so much to review. 

The Sugar Art competition had a specific theme to follow called Sounds of the South.  The talented sugar artists created some amazing displays with Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, ZZ Top, Dolly Parton and even some designs using specific songs, like “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”.  Some even had lights and moving turntables as part of the design.  They were so cool! 

The other competitions were the Southern Lady Hat Fashion Show and the Great Southern Bake Off.  The final competition was the USA Qualifying Rounds for the 2021 FIPGC Cake Designers World Championship.  So much to do in one weekend…. Whew…. I’m exhausted.  I hope you had a chance to see everything.  Here are some photographs of the weekend events.

This is such an exciting time of year!  The holidays are right around the corner and there are 2 very exciting events coming up that I just have to tell you about!

The first one starts today, Thursday, November 7 and goes through Sunday, November 10 in Atlanta, Georgia.   I’m talking about the Ultimate Sugar Show’s Baking Supply Expo and Cake Competition which takes place in conjunction with the Business Conference for Sweets Industry Professionals also known as The Sweet Makers Industry Conference.  Now, I know that is a mouth full when it comes to naming cake shows, but stay with me because I think this is definitely one to attend.  There are so many classes, demos, and things to learn at this convention.  There will be special demonstrations and presentations by many well-known cake artists like Ron Ben-Israel, Joshua John Russell, Holly Broussard and Reva Alexander-Hawk, just to name a few.

First of all, I want to share with you that Flower Pro has reached a monumental milestone.

It is YOU that have made Flower Pro so popular by showing your support with your purchases, your comments and sharing your designs with everyone!  Did you know that these products are sold worldwide in 50 different countries!!  That is a great big THANK YOU in so many languages!!  But most of all it comes from the heart!  We Thank you!

And now….just when you think Flower Pro can’t possibly get any better…..this week, Chef Nicholas and Katy Sue Designs launched 3 new molds that will add to their line of fabulous products.  You are going to want to get these molds as soon as possible to add to your collection.

Flower Pro has added the Poppy Mold, Maple/Ivy/Ginkgo Leaves Mold and the Fan Mold.  These molds are all designed by the super talented Chef Nicholas.

Hi everyone.  I wrote last week about the FIPGC -Federation of Pastry Gelato & Chocolate Competition that was taking place on October 19 & 20 in Milan, Italy with Chef Nicholas as one of the judges representing the USA Division.

Well, since the blog last week was written before the winners were announced, I thought I would do a quick follow up to tell you how the event turned out and to tell you the final results of the competition. 

As you know, Chef Nicholas was at the event as a judge and he took a lot of photographs and videos that I would love to share with you.  I think he is part journalist because there are so many photos and videos, it made me feel like I was right there at the competition.  Chef said after the first day of judging, “The quality of work is amazing… not only viewing the pre-made exhibition cakes, but also seeing how parts of the actual cake (cake/fillings) were prepared and assembled”

As most of you probably know, Chef Nicholas is on the road traveling all year long, around the world to so many different events for the Sugar Arts.  It’s hard to keep up with his schedule and keep track of where he is going to be next because he is so busy.  I am going to do my best to keep up with him from a virtual level and report back here to everyone.

This week, Chef Nicholas is traveling to Milan, Italy for the FIPGC Cake Designers World Championship.  This is an international competition that only happens every two years.  This year, it will be held on October 19 – 20 and will have literally thousands in attendance.  FIPGC stands for Federazione Internazionale Pasticceria Gelateria Cioccolateria or to translate, it is the International Federation of Pastry Gelato Confectionery.  Thank you Google Translate! 

 A few weeks ago, I told you about the Sunflower and Daisy Flower Pro molds from Chef Nicholas and Katy Sue Designs that help make your sugar flower creations easier and more fun.  I hope you have these molds as part of your cake decorating supplies by now!

I also hinted about a new mold was coming out and it’s finally here!  This mold creates the most beautiful large and small size Antlers.  This new mold is definitely not a flower but is so much more versatile than a flower.  Just take a look at these fabulous creations.

The team at Katy Sue Designs and the many fans of Chef Nicholas have created some beautiful designs that I want to share with you.  Here are a few cake designs.

These cakes are amazing!! 

Now, I have to admit, when I first saw this mold, I started thinking of all the different cake designs I could make with this mold.  But then I thought…. this mold can be used to create so much more than just cake!  How about cookies or cupcakes?  How about a centerpiece for your table-top or pretty wreath to use during a Holiday celebration?  The team at Katy Sue Designs and everyone out there stepped outside the ‘cake box’ and came up with so many other ideas.  Just take a look.

This is definitely something no one should be without.  These molds are amazing.  Now is the best time to get yours!  

Click on the mold photograph to go straight to the website to place your order.  The Antler molds come in 2 different sizes, but can be used in the same way.  ISAC has plenty of these molds in stock, but you better hurry and order yours before they run out.  

Be sure to post photographs of your designs to the Katy Sue Designs Cake Decorating or Nicholas Lodge Facebook page so we can enjoy your work.  Chef Nicholas has also created a tutorial for the Antlers mold. Here is the link to the YouTube videos for all the great tutorials created by Chef Nicholas, including the Antler molds.  The NIcholas Lodge Antler Mold YouTube Tutorials.  There are 2 parts to this tutorial.

I never thought about the antler molds being on anything other than a cake, but the wonderful cake decorators and designers that work with these molds have really taken this to the next level. 

Who would have thought about this idea?  How cute is this?!

The Antler molds can be used for any holiday decoration or a rural Country theme cake or cookie.  The possibilities were endless.   Order yours today!

Stay Sweet and Keep Learning!

SAVE THE DATE!  Don't forget about the upcoming ISAC Grand Holiday Open House.  The event is scheduled for November 16 from 9:00am – 12:30pm OR 12:00-3:30pm; or you can attend November 17 from 9:00am – 12:30pm.  Each day will have the same demonstrations, so you can choose one of these days and times to attend and not miss a thing!

Registration is $15.00 for the event.  You will receive a $5.00 credit on any purchase you make during the event.  Got to www.nicholaslodge.com/classes to sign up today!

The team here at ISAC is always trying to make things better, easier and more efficient for our customers and friends.  There are many ways we can accomplish this.  We can do this the old-fashioned way and send out surveys by mail; or we can make phone calls to everyone.  But surveys by mail just get tossed in the trash can (at least that is what I tend to do) and who has the time to make all those phone calls?   

With the age of computers and fast technology, the internet is a much better option for these types of things.  There are a lot of websites that ask their users to leave a review about a business, like Yelp, Trip Advisor, Google or Ebay to name a few.  The more reviews that a business gets, the better the business is perceived and people who read the reviews will be more inclined to use that business if others have given it a favorable review.

So, based on that introduction and without getting too technical…. We would like your help.  Would you consider writing a review for ISAC?  We would love to hear about your thoughts, suggestions and creative ideas about how we are doing. 

Hello!  You probably looked at the title of this blog, rolled your eyes and groaned loudly thinking Christmas stuff already??  Well let me assure you that this Christmas blog is going to be one of the ones that you will want to pay attention to, so keep reading!

One of the best and “must do” events of the season is ISAC’s Grand Holiday Open House.  This is a great way to kick off the holiday season and get you in the holiday spirit! Did you know this will be the16th year for this celebration?

Mark these dates on your calendar - November 16 OR November 17.  The open house will be held at the ISAC show room and will be packed full of great Christmas ideas, demonstrations and shopping.

Good Products, Great Products

I am a sugar fanatic!  I love all things about sugar, cake decorating, conventions about cake decorating and the sugar arts and good cake decorating supplies.

When you are out there searching for a good product, don’t you want to make sure this product does what it says it can do and at an affordable price?  You don’t want to spend your hard-earned money on an inferior product that is going to break down after you use it once or twice.  (Trust me on that one, I have some of those)….. well, I have some great news to share or maybe this is old news for some but keep reading!

If you haven’t heard about the Flower Pro products created by Chef Nicholas and the team at Katy Sue then you must have been living somewhere without communication to the outside world!!  Or under the proverbial rock.  😊

These products are amazing, and did you know they have been around for over 1 year!!  That’s right, Flower Pro had a birthday celebration in August of this year.  Now for those of you who already know about Flower Pro and even have some of these molds in your decorating supply box, then you are way ahead of things.  But, if you are just learning about this, you need to catch up with us! 

Got Cake Shows?

Have you ever been a part of a cake show, either on a local level or a national level?   As I search the internet, there are a lot more cake shows than ever before.   Here are just a few to mention.

A new show that was just held in August was the Cake Clash! 2019. 

The Cake Clash! 2019 was held at Maggiano’s restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia.  This is the first time for this event but let me tell you it will not be the last!   The competition got whittled down to 6 local bakers who were fighting for ‘bragging rights’ to the title “Best Baker in Georgia”.  The show was put together by Greta Russo in honor of her daughter.  The best part about the show was that it all benefitted the Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorder Center at the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

Of course, Chef Nicholas was a part of this great event as a judge and advisor.  Chef pulled in some very talented judges to help make this event even better.  Thank you to Sidney Galpern and Reva Alexander-Hawk for their contribution with the judging!  Here is a great article about the event and a list of the winners.  https://www.supcreativegroup.com/cake-clash-2019--the-recap?journal=26

Hello!  Have you been missing the weekly blog that used to come out from ISAC?  Me too!  Stephanie did a wonderful job keeping us up to date with everything going on with the team at ISAC and Chef Nicholas, but she has decided to move on to bigger things (taking care of her family!)  Thank you Stephanie for all that you have done!  Your blogs were full of information and lots of fun!!

So what’s next?  Well, I’m happy to announce that I have the privilege and honor of being the person that is going to continue what Stephanie was doing and deliver the weekly blog on behalf of ISAC!  My name is Susan and I would like to welcome you to a new series of blogs that will give you all the latest that is happening with Chef Nicholas and his entire team at ISAC. 

First, I want to give you just a little about myself.   I have been a cake decorator and involved in the sugar arts for over 25 years.  I love to make sugar flowers, decorate, travel and mostly play with sugar!  I am a member of the International Cake Exploration Society and the Treasurer of the Florida Chapter.  I have met so many people and made life long friends in the sugar industry.  It’s hard to say what is more fun, playing with sugar or meeting new friends!

It is with a grateful heart that we announce that after 25 years, we have decided to

make a major change! We are changing our walk in retail store to an online

only retail store. 

WAIT, WHAT?!

What does this mean? What's happening?  
Are you closing?  What about classes?
When will this happen?  Why is this happening?

Read on to find out all these answers and more!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First and foremost, we are NOT closing International Sugar Art Collection! 
We WILL still offer Nicholas Lodge classes at our famous classroom in Norcross, GA.  

So what IS happening then? 

*Just like many other small businesses, we are just not able to compete with Walmart, Michaels or even Amazon.  So many in the decorating community have to shop these places because they have no retail store near them.  Understandable of course.  Like everyone, even Chef Nicholas shops at those places for their variety, their prices and for their convenience.  That PRIME shipping....man, that's good stuff! 

*Frankly, our foot traffic is just not what it used to be, so we have found that we have excess inventory.  In order to bring in new products, we need to sell what we have first.  Lucky you!!

*We will be transitioning to an online only retail store by the end of May.  You will still be able to place orders online and have them shipped.  If you are local, you can place your order online or over the phone, and arrange to pick it up.  Some items will no longer be available. Items like:  Boxes & Boards, Chocolate & Sprinkles, but it is all to make room for new things.  

*Chef Nicholas Lodge will still be teaching!  He will still be creating new molds and cutters and he will of course still be attending shows!

THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US FOR THE PAST 25 YEARS,
AND WE CAN'T WAIT FOR 25 MORE!

HEY...remember when I said Lucky You?  
You are now able to receive that same 50% off* sale that the Spring Open House attendees were offered! 
You can find all the items that qualify for the discount in the DISCONTINUED section on our website. The online shop will automatically apply your discount at checkout. You will get 50% off* the listed price for any item purchased in the DISCONTINUED section on our website. 

How awesome!  That's a better deal than Amazon for sure! *While supplies last.  No substitutions or exchanges.  No refunds or returns on discontinued merchandise.  We reserve the right to make changes to discontinued/sale merchandise at any time. Click on either of the links above or the NL Emblem below to start saving today!

Chef Nicholas received an early Christmas present late last week- he was honored by Bake Magazine! In their annual Twentyfive special edition magazine this year, they decided to honor the top 25 educators and mentors in the fields of baking, pastry, and chocolate. Many names on the list were familiar (Norman Love, Jacquy Pfeiffer, Marina Sousa, Mark Seaman, Bronwynn Weber), but the most familiar name was NICHOLAS LODGE! Yay! 

It has been another fabulous year at Nicholas Lodge's International Sugar Art Collection! Thanks to each and every one of you out there: students, clients, fans, shoppers, friends, and family. You are the reason we are here, and why Chef Nicholas travels the world sharing his sugary talents. Chef Nicholas, Scott, Ann, Molly, Jan, Carol, and I send all of our warmest wishes for a happy holiday season and a happy and healthy new year. We look forward to seeing you in a class next year at ISAC (you can find our 2019 calendar by clicking here), or at one of the many cake shows throughout the USA and the world that Chef Nicholas will be attending. 

Chef Nicholas isn't the only talent in house... our resident photographer and videographer, Scott, has created a holiday video that will leave you feeling merry and bright! Enjoy by clicking the image below. 

Enjoy the holidays with your loved ones, and we hope to see you in the new year! 

Chef Nicholas, Scott, Ann, Molly, Jan, Carol, and Stephanie

Our goal is for you to be completely satisfied with your Amazon order! If for any reason this is not the case, we would appreciate it if you would give us a chance to address your concerns, before leaving feedback or a review, by emailing us at customersvc@nicholaslodge.com. We would be grateful if you would leave us a positive feedback and review of your Renshaw Fondant. Leaving feedback seems like such a little thing, but it has great impact on our business and we would greatly appreciate your time in leaving it.

2017 Finalist for the Cake Masters Cake Hero Award

WINNER of the 2017 Golden Tier Educator of the Year Award

Winner of the 2015 Craftsy Blogger Award for Best Craftsy Cake Decorating Instructor Blog

Chef Nicholas Lodge: 2015 Finalist for the Cake Masters Cake Hero Award

ISAC is excited to tell everyone that Chef Nicholas' 2019 class schedule is now online! Chef Nicholas already has some great classes on tap, as well traveling to a bunch of different states! We even already have a class scheduled in Studio B!

Chef Nicholas is starting off 2019 by teaching his Renshaw Academy Flower Module at the Sweet Chalet in Sandford, FL! Throughout 2019, Chef Nicholas will also be teaching in Phoenix, AZ and Austin, TX, as well as appearing at cake shows in San Diego, CA, Miami, FL, Seattle, WA, Little Rock, AR, Las Vegas, NV, Alberta, Canada, and Milan, Italy. I cannot state enough how busy this man stays. Of course, The French Pastry School in Chicago will also get their fair share of Chef Nicholas... lucky dogs, 

If you prefer hanging out with us in Chef Nicholas in his very own classroom, he has some great classes for you! First up on January 23, is the ever popular 5-Day Ultimate Gumpaste Flower Class. On April 15, you can join the revolution and join the Renshaw Academy Flower Module class. In May, Chef Nicholas is offering the Renshaw Rolled Fondant Techniques and Advanced Royal Icing Techniques Modules. We are still working on the schedule for the back half of 2019, and on getting Studio B instructors nailed down. AND, speaking of Studio B...

Chef Joseph Cumm is returning to Studio B next month! Yay! Everyone loves when Chef Joseph comes to town. This time, I know, will be no exception. This two-day class offers quite a bit, not in the least how to make a mini chocolate SHOWPIECE!!! Day one will include learning about couverture chocolate, the process of tempering chocolate, making ganache, and making modeling chocolate. Students will begin construction of their bonbons and truffles as well as their tempered chocolate flower, mini-showpiece, and chocolate heart gift box. Yeah, that's just day one! On day two, students will finish their confections, assemble and put the finishing touches on all of their products as well as do some taste testing! There will also be some time to take some photos of your masterpieces!

So, if you are interested in signing up for one of Chef Nicholas' classes (at ISAC or on the road), learning about the cake shows he will be attending, or signing up for Chef Joseph Cumm's class, please just visit our website: www.nicholaslodge,com/classes. We hope to see all of you throughout 2019! 

 Sweetly yours, 

Stephanie 

Our goal is for you to be completely satisfied with your Amazon order! If for any reason this is not the case, we would appreciate it if you would give us a chance to address your concerns, before leaving feedback or a review, by emailing us at customersvc@nicholaslodge.com. We would be grateful if you would leave us a positive feedback and review of your Renshaw Fondant. Leaving feedback seems like such a little thing, but it has great impact on our business and we would greatly appreciate your time in leaving it.

2017 Finalist for the Cake Masters Cake Hero Award

WINNER of the 2017 Golden Tier Educator of the Year Award

Winner of the 2015 Craftsy Blogger Award for Best Craftsy Cake Decorating Instructor Blog

Chef Nicholas Lodge: 2015 Finalist for the Cake Masters Cake Hero Award

Christmas is just a few weeks away, and you need to make your ISAC Wishlist! A few weeks ago we had our Grand Holiday Open House, and now is a perfect time to make your list and send it to your favorite secret santa. Our wishlist is a great feature (no matter the time of year), and I like to give everyone a refresher on how this amazing feature works on our amazing website.  You can send the list to someone who may need help giving you a gift, or you can search for a friend's wishlist to surprise them with a gift, or use it to save items you'd like to purchase later. The ISAC wishlist is very easy to use, and I am going to show you how! So... who's ready to make some wishes?! 

First of all, you need to go to our website; if you are reading this blog, chances are you are on our website right this very moment! Just in case, it is www.nicholaslodge.com. Click on the shop button, and then once the shop page opens, you will click on Wishlist at the top.