We always love getting new products in the retail gallery at ISAC! It is even more exciting when we know the product comes from a high end vendor like Katy Sue. In the past, I had written a blog post about the Katy Sue Creative Cake System molds. Now I am pleased to share three more Katy Sue silicone molds that are newly arrived to ISAC: mini butterflies, blossoms & birds, and rose stems.
Earlier this year, Chef Nicholas had the honor of attending and teaching at CookieCon! He had the pleasure of meeting Tunde Dugantsi, also known as the Gingerbread Artist! She was born and raised in Hungary, and she moved to the USA in 2004. Tunde's cookie designs are a blend of traditional Hungarian designs with new and modern techniques! Tunde has never formally studied any type of arts and crafts, and has only been creating cookies since 2013. In that time Tunde has authored seven books, created many tutorial videos, and writes a blog! Chef Nicholas was so impressed with her cookies and their designs that he invited her to be one of our guest instructors at our Grand Holiday Open House, and to teach two classes after our open house!
Last weekend, Chef Nicholas and Scott were up in New York City for the NY Cake Show, the Golden Tier Awards, and a Renshaw Difference demo at the Chefs Warehouse. Oh, and it was Chef Nicholas' birthday too! It was a big weekend. Even BIGGER and BETTER because Chef Nicholas was nominated for one of the inaugural Golden Tier Awards: The Albert Kumin Educator of the Year Award!
We are celebrating ISAC's 25th Anniversary on July 17 of this year! To celebrate all the students and friends who have helped Chef Nicholas and Scott reach this important milestone, all Nicholas Lodge classes held at ISAC from NOW until JULY 17, 2017, are being offered at 25% OFF!!!!
There is no code needed to register; all the prices are 25% off on our website registration page! This is a pretty huge deal. If you have always wanted to take a class with Chef Nicholas, now is really the time. These classes will not be offered at this discounted price again! There are four classes to choose from: Intro into Rolled Fondant, Exotic & Tropical Flowers, Exotic and Tropical Orchids, and the 5-Day Ultimate Gumpaste Flower class (with PME Certification)!
Introduction to Rolled Fondant and 5-Day Ultimate Gumpaste Flower class (with PME Certification) are two of our most popular classes- sign up today to secure our special anniversary pricing!
We hope to see you in class this month!
Sweetly yours,
Stephanie
Don't just follow our blog! Follow Chef Lodge on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter!
Finalist for the 2017 Golden Tier Awards Educator of the Year
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.
Summer is here! One of my favorite things about summer is seeing big, beautiful blooming flowers every where I look. Even when I am at work, I see Chef Nicholas' beautiful gumpaste flowers! While you may not be nearby to take a class with Chef Nicholas in person at our school, you can always create your own stunning summer flowers by taking one of Chef Nicholas Craftsy classes!
Chef Nicholas has been in "The Biz," for a long time. He has gained lots of friends, lots of products, and lots of respect. Not surprisingly, Chef Nicholas often gets to try new products that vendors send in order to gain his professional opinion. I love when I get to share these amazing new products with YOU! This week I am even more excited, because this is a product I have been dreaming of! The SuperSpatch, by JoSpatch!
Chef Nicholas has been traveling A LOT. I really cannot say it enough- the man is a machine. He recently had a break from traveling and got some time to relax here at home in Atlanta. He had quality time with Scott, got time to tend his amazing garden, and most importantly we were able to finalize his teaching schedule for the remainder of 2017! Yay!
Chef Nicholas is wasting no time- there are three classes in June. Yes, I realize that is next month! It's never too late to sign up!
Rolled Fondant Techniques with PME Certification is being offered June 17-19th. This class is one of longtime favorites. It's great for both beginnings in rolled fondant, but also helps old pros strengthen their skills! This course is a PME certification course; if you are interested in earning the PME Master Certification and diploma, this course is one of the three necessary modules. Due to the high demand for this class, it will be offered a second time, September 23-25, 2017.
Chef Nicholas will next teach two flower courses back to back: Exotic & Tropical Flowers, and Exotic & Tropical Orchids. Both of these classes are two day classes (June 24-25 and June 26-27, respectively). Flowers included in the Exotic & Tropical Flowers class will include: Hibiscus, Plumeria, Bird-of-Paradise, Bougainvillea, Anthurium and White Ginger. Tropical foliage will also be included. This class is one my favorites- I just love tropical flowers, and watching the students create these gorgeous flowers always makes me want to kick back on the beach with a strawberry daiquiri!
The Tropical & Exotic Orchid class is perfect for those of you who make bridal shower and wedding cakes; orchids are a favorite wedding flower! In this two day class, students will maximize their time and create seven different orchids under Chef Nicholas' instruction: Vanda, Miltonia (pansy), Slipper, Phaleaenopsis (moth orchid), oncidium, Phaius, and Epidendrum.
July 8-12, 2017, Chef Nicholas will be teaching his 5-Day Ultimate Gumpaste Flower class with PME Certification. This could be Chef Nicholas' most popular class. It is intense, students will learn a total of 18 different flowers. That works out to more than three new flowers each day of class! What flowers are included, you ask? Well, let me share: The Ultimate Rose, Stargazer Lily, Calla Lily, Cattleya Orchid, Cymbidium Orchid, Dendrobium Orchid, Gardenia, Gerber Daisy, Lizianthus, Hydrangea, Stephanotis, Lily of the Valley, Sweet Peas, Carnations, Daisies, Eucalyptus, Ferns, and Ivy. Where appropriate, buds and leaves will be included. Oh, and it is a PME Certification class; it is one of the three modules needed for the Master Certification and diploma. Due to the popularity of this class, it will be offered again September 9-13, 2017.
If you want to learn how to be amazing with royal icing, you can sign up for Three Day Advanced Royal Icing with PME Certification, August 19-12, 2017. During this class students will learn color flow, run-out, Wedgwood style figure piping, lace and filigree, Lambeth and English-style border work and string work. Students will learn the finer points of how to smoothly coat a cake with royal icing. Many different styles and techniques in this class can only be described as supremely elegant. Please note: Students attending this class must have attended the 3-Day Rolled Fondant Techniques Class with Nicholas Lodge, as the Advanced Royal Icing Techniques class will build upon skills and techniques learned during the Rolled Fondant Techniques Class.) As with the other PME Certification classes, this is one of the modules needed to earn the Master Certification and diploma. This class is also being offered a second time, September 26-28, 2017. This will directly follow the Rolled Fondant Techniques class, a perfect opportunity to take both classes back to back!
Finally, Chef Nicholas is teaching Fall in Gumpaste, August 26-27, 2017. I absolutely love the rich jewel tone colors of the fall flowers and foliage in this class. In this class students will create seasonal fall flowers, berries, fruits and leaves: Maple Leaves, Japanese Maple Leaves, Oak Leaves, Acorns, Blackberry, Chrysanthemums, Buckeyes, Chinese Lanterns and Fall Berries. My favorite are the Chinese lanterns; they are so delicate and papery looking- even though they are made out of gumpaste!
Well, I hope that you all see a class, or classes, that you are interested in signing up for! We have had loads of requests for PME certification classes, so I expect to see lots of your sunshiny faces soon!
Oh, and who wants to know the winners of last week's blog contest for the ProGel and edible Food Art Pen?! Without further ado, the winner of the ProGel is:
Mary Thompson!
"I would love to try the red pro gel color. I make many, many French Macarons and red is a hard color to achieve. I would love i.e. To see how this color stands up against other brands. I have used the pens and I love them!!"
The winner of the Food Art Pen is:
Shupan Abraham
"I would love, love, love, to try the edible food art pen. I make x-box game controller cakes weekly. For one of the buttons, I have to make a round ball of fondant, paint it silver and put an 'x' on the top. Currently, the edible writing pens that I have don't make a defined 'x' on the ball. So, I have had to use a brush with some vodka and black power color to paint the 'x' on the top of the ball. I would like to try the edible food art pen to see if they would make my life just a little easier."
Thank you to everyone who entered, and congratulations to both winners! I cannot wait to hear what you think of the new colors!
ISAC 25th Anniversary Fun Fact: In 2001, Chef Nicholas Lodge is inducted into the ICES Cake Decorator Hall of Fame. He is the youngest person to ever receive this prestigious award.
Sweetly yours,
Stephanie
Don't just follow our blog! Follow Chef Lodge on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter!
Finalist for the 2017 Golden Tier Awards Educator of the Year
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.
Beautiful, rich, and vibrant colors are so important in the cake, cookie, and candy making world. The perfect shade of the perfect color means a lot to a bride, or a child with a specific birthday cake in mind. That means you need a gel color that will work as hard as you do. Lucky for you, ISAC is proud to announce that we are carrying Rainbow Dust ProGel gel colors and edible, double-sided, Food Art Pens!
Edible Food Art Pens! Photo: S. Ewing/ISAC
Eighteen years ago, in 1999, Chef Nicholas published the first edition of Potpourri of Flowers. That book contained fifteen beautiful, life-sized gumpaste flowers. This book was to be the first of a trilogy of textbooks Chef Nicholas authored on gumpaste flowers. In 2014, New Trends in Sugar Flowers was released, and just last year in 2016, Spring & Summer Flowers in Gumpaste was released as the final book of the trilogy. While all three of these books have been extremely popular as instructional guides for making botanically accurate sugar flowers, Potpourri of Flowers has always stood out among the three.
Who doesn't love a pair of sexy designer stiletto heels? Or how about a sophisticated designer purse? Nothing. Well... unless it's designer heels and purses that you CAN EAT! If you were at our Spring Open House you may remember seeing the gorgeous purses that Chef Nicholas made with chocolate and gumpaste (he also showed the mold for the stiletto heel). These high quality molds will give you spectacular results every time! For those of you NOT at Spring Open House, I bet you'd love to see some photos of these fabulous heels and purses. Yep, I thought so!
Let's start with the clutch purse. Perfect for a hot night out on the town, or maybe topping a cake for a bachelorette party or 21st birthday! I love the bow detail on the front... it's just too cute. If clutch purses aren't your bag (ha, pun intended!), and you want a more casual style, may I suggest the bamboo handle bag!
Need a purse to take shopping in a swanky beachside resort? This bamboo handled purse is perfect for you! If you were lucky enough to be at our Spring Open House then you were able to see Chef Nicholas demo this purse in red gumpaste.
The final purse available should look very familiar to you. It was designed to evoke a very popular and famous designer bag. So... do you recognize it? ;) The initials LV are brought to mind. Chef Nicholas did not demo this at Spring Open House, but he did make one in chocolate as a display piece... and it was BEAUTIFUL! His gold detail
So, we have covered all three designer bags. If you would like to purchase any of them, just click the photos above to be taken to our online shop! Now, you know that every great bag needs the perfect pair of shoes to complete the look. What about the perfect pair of LB inspired stiletto pumps?! I drool over the photo regularly, specficially the glittery pair in the back. I have to remind myself these are not real shoes and I cannot wear them. If you put one of these babies, or a pair, on top of a cake or as a display piece your clients will be absolutely blown away by the complete realism!
I think you will all agree that the purses and shoes made from these molds are incredibly lifelike beautiful. The molds themselves are made from high quality polycarbonate with magnetic closures. These items have been selling like hotcakes since we debuted them at Spring Open House. It's not hard to see why! If you would like to purchase any of the molds, just click the photos for the link!
Oh, hey... we do have one more order of buisness before I close up shop today! The winner of last week's blog contest! I asked you all to leave a comment about Scott's new cookbook, or his delicious meals or cookies. There were lots of really lovely comments, and it was difficult to select a winner. But, a winner was selected! Congratulations to Romona Flowers!
"I had the pleasure of purchasing and getting a autographed copy of Scott's first "Lunch is Ready" cookbook while I was attending class. He is truly a man after my own heart. I looked forward to having lunch everyday while attending class. I have tried several of his recipes. I really enjoyed making his ISAC Chicken Salad and the five flavor Pound Cake (my favorite). I would like to be the winner of his second cookbook, but I may just go and purchase one!"
Romona- check your email for details on how to collect your copy of Lunch is Ready 2 by our own Scott Ewing. Thank you to everyone who entered. If you would like to purchase your own copy of Lunch is Ready 2, just click the title and you will be taken to the shop!
Sweetly yours,
Stephanie
Don't just follow our blog! Follow Chef Lodge on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter!
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.
Right before our Spring Open House last month ISAC was excited to announce the publication of the 25th Anniversary Edition of Lunch is Ready, Scott's amazing cookbook! If you have had the pleasure of meeting me during one of our fabulous classes, you will know that cookie time is my favorite part of the day. It should be no surprise that my favorite part of Scott's cookbook is his cookie recipe section. After speaking to copious amounts of students, I know that many of them enjoy cookie time as much as I do. In fact, during a recent class I engaged a student in a friendly debate over which of Scott's cookies was the best. It didn't help that I couldn't even decide on my own favorite (butterscotch, lemon, ginger, pineapple... I still can't decide!).
I am in a particularly giving mood today, so when Molly suggested sharing a recipe from the 25th Anniversary of Lunch is Ready, I readily agreed. So my friends, thank Molly when you see her- today I am sharing Scott's Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookies AND I am giving away a free copy of Lunch is Ready!
Things never slow down here at ISAC. We finished up our big two-week PME Master Certification class last week. Chef Nicholas was jetsetting as usual, flying to Chicago the very next day to teach at the French Pastry School. The crew at ISAC has been busy preparing for Chef Nicholas' upcoming Renshaw Difference demos in Las Vegas, Chicago, and New York and our trip to Miami for SoFlo Cake and Candy Expo. And.... Chef Nicholas' will be in Canada next month!!
Congratulations to all of the wonderful students in the spring 2017 PME Master Certification class! Today is the final day of class, basically graduation day, and they have put in two long weeks of hard work! We had such fun with each and every one of the students in this class, and we are proud of all their accomplishments this week!
For your viewing pleasure, I have included photos from throughout the last two weeks of class, mini baking essentials class with Reva Alexander-Hawk, as well as our celebratory dinner out together! Congratulations again students! Now get out there and wow all your clients with your new skills!
Now that we have our 2017 Spring Open House behind us, we at ISAC are looking forward to upcoming classes we are hosting! This summer we are so excited to be hosting Stephen Benison for three classes this coming July! That's right THREE classes! What makes this even more exciting is the fact that Stephen has never taught at ISAC before, despite knowing Chef Nicholas for about 30 years. That makes this a rare educational experience. Each of Stephen's classes are one-day classes. One-day classes are perfect for those of you who don't have very flexible schedules, or may not be able to take much time off from work. Or, you could go all out and sign up for all three classes! Not a bad idea, it may be a once in a lifetime chance to learn from Stephen!
A couple of months ago, I wrote an in depth blog about each of Stephen's classes, but I just wanted to share them again quickly now that spring is here and summer is around the corner!
Beginning on Sunday July 16, Stephen is teaching his Fabulous Shoes, Hats, and Handbags class. Focusing on vintage style shoes, hats, and handbags (surprise!), Stephen's class will bring all the glitz and glamour that comes to mind when thinking of Audrey Hepburn or Downton Abbey. Also included in the price of the class is a shoe kit with cutters, formers, and step by step color instructions; a fabulous hat kit with cutters for the different brim styles, and an eight page booklet showing the construction and different styles; and a fabulous handbag cutter classic style kit, and a mini flower texture stencil.
Tools included in the Fabulous Shoes, Hats, and Handbags class
Monday, July 17 brings us Stephen's Vintage Fabric Flowers and Naked Leaves Wedding Cake class. This two-tier wedding cake that evokes antique silk. I love the ivory and gold color scheme of this cake, and just like in his Shoes, Hats, and Handbags class, students in this class will be taking home the fabric flowers stencil kit with 12 formers, one each of the swirls and sequins mini stencil textures, decorative leaves stencils, a set of “S” scroll cutters, a high grade scalpel with five blades, double leaf scroll cutter, a six inch mini turntable, and the naked leaves cutters!
Tools included in the Vintage Fabric Flowers and Naked Leaves Wedding Cake class
The final class that Stephen is teaching at ISAC is Wedding Cake Styles and Techniques, on Tuesday July 18. For this class, Stephen will be sharing design concepts and a variety of techniques and tools that his students can use to create and design their own individual wedding cakes. Just as in his first two classes, Stephen is including many tools for students to take home with them: Macintosh rose art-deco stencil, silhouette cutters, feature design cutters, triple leaf scroll, trailing leaves cutter, and stripes stencil.
Stephen recently taught this class in Canada, and shared a photo of the students with their finished cakes. There are so many different, fun, and exciting design elements. This class will be a great asset- you will come away with a lot of new ideas and techniques to add to your decorating toolbox!
Tools included in the Wedding Cake Styles and Techniques class.
Speaking of toolboxes, I want to take a quick minute and point out how great it is that students will be taking home so many tools! If a student takes all three of Stephen's classes, they will go home with nearly $300 in cake decorating tools!!! That is an absolutely incredible bonus to these fantastic classes!
Don't miss out on these three great classes offered by Stephen Benison this July. Between Stephen teaching at ISAC for the very first time and all the great tools you will come home with, these three classes are totally worth it! We all hope to see you in class this summer!
Sweetly yours,
Stephanie
Don't just follow our blog! Follow Chef Lodge on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter!
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.
As always, the blog after our latest Open House event is a photo blog! Thank you to everyone who attended our 2017 Spring Open House, thank you to Marilyn and Michele for their fabulous demos, and a big thanks to my ISAC family for putting on another great event! Our 2017 Grand Holiday Open House is open for registration, and our guests will be Tunde Dugantsi and Reva Hawk! Without further ado, please enjoy these photos from our 2017 Spring Open House and Michele Sweeney's Sew Easy Mixed Media class!
Last week we had two special blogs about the fabulous line of Creative Cake System molds by Katy Sue Designs. We were asking our readers to submit a comment for a chance to win FOUR molds from the Creative Cake System family! We had an overwhelming response, but I am excited to announce the winner of the Butterfly Trio, Serrated Rope, and Small and Medium Ruffle molds!!
Congratulations to Christine Great Banks!
"I would use the ruffle so many ways to use it to cover cakes, makes skirts for figures ruffled flowers what a great prize. Would love to have a go at the butterflies they look amazing."
Christine- please email us at customersvc@nicholaslodge.com so we can get your details and send out your great prize! We can't wait to hear what you think after you give them a try. I know you are just going to love them!!
You all left really great comments, and I think that nearly everyone was most excited about the ruffle molds! If you didn't win, there is no need to fret. We are carrying the Katy Sue Creative Cake System molds at ISAC- we got ya covered!
Congratulations again Christine, and thank you to everyone who commented. It's nice to know there are so many of you reading this blog each week!
There is still time...
If you are looking for something to do this coming Saturday (March 18, 2017), we still have several openings in each of our annual Spring Open House event! This year Chef Nicholas is joined by guest instructors Marilyn Bawol and Michele Sweeney! Marilyn will be creating and edible Easter basket, and Michele will be demonstration how to use wafer paper to decorate cookies! You can sign up online or by calling us at 1-800-662-8925.
Finally, there is also still time to sign up for Chef Nicholas' PME Master Certification Class beginning March 25! Chef Nicholas Lodge and the International Sugar Art Collection are excited to once again offer the PME certification master classes! This intense 13-day class includes all three modules of the PME certification program. Once completed students enrolled in this super class will be awarded a total of seven certificates: three certificates from Chef Nicholas Lodge, three PME module certificates, and the PME Master Certificate. The Master Certificate is awarded only upon completion of the three PME modules.
Days 1-3 (March 25-27): Rolled Fondant Techniques course - 9:00am-6:00pm
Day 4 (March 28) - Free Day for the Students to Sightsee!!
Days 5-7 (March 29-31): Advanced Royal Icing Techniques course - 9:00am-6:00pm
Day 8 (April 1): Free Day for Students with optional afternoon demonstration on cake baking, filling cakes, and working with real cakes in Studio B. This demo is included in your class tuition, but is not required if you would rather go sightseeing, sleep, etc. 1:00pm-5:00pm
Days 9-13 (April 2-6): Ultimate Gumpaste Flower course - 9:30am-5:30pm
The class tuition includes:
-Multiple booklets of handouts, recipes, etc.
-ISAC & PME aprons
-Water, soda, tea/coffee, lemonade, iced tea, lunch each day, and the ISAC signature sweet break in the afternoon.
-A celebration dinner with Chef Lodge and Staff after class on April 4.
This is the ultimate master class for any cake decorator!
This class is usually offered twice a year by Chef Nicholas. However, due to his heavy travel schedule in 2017,
THIS IS THE ONLY TIME THE PME MASTER CERTIFICATION CLASS OFFERED BY CHEF NICHOLAS IN 2017.
If you have been considering taking this course with Chef Nicholas, do not wait any longer! We still have a couple seats open, and would hate for someone to miss this opportunity!
Hope to see you all at our Spring Open House this Saturday, and maybe even in Chef Nicholas' PME Certification class too!
Sweetly yours,
Stephanie
Don't just follow our blog! Follow Chef Lodge on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter!
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.
I was so excited about our blog this week, with our Katy Sue Creative Cake System giveaway and the debut of Scott's new cookbook, that I forgot to tell you all about the rest of the Creative Cake System line that ISAC is carrying! These molds are designed to work with rolled fondant and gumpaste to replicate the delicate string work of piped royal icing. The best part is that there are so many to choose from, and there is a huge set containing seven molds: the Creative Cake System 7-Piece Mold set!
Cake by Ceri Griffiths Photo: S. Ewing/ISAC
Take a look at that cake, it was design by Chef Ceri Griffiths and it appears to have been painstakingly decorated it with royal icing! In reality, he used some of the seven different molds included in the set we have started carrying at ISAC! Included in this set are barrels, C scrolls, S scrolls, rope borders, scoops, serrated V, and shell border! This one set of molds will enable you to create perfectly composed cakes every time! Plus, your hands and wrists wouldn't get so sore. To buy all these molds separately would cost well over $125.00. But we are offering the Creative Cake System 7-Piece Mold set at ISAC for the insanely great price of just $99.00!!! This is a special price you won't be able to find anywhere else. The ISAC team just loves our clients and students so much, we want everyone to be able to snag a set of these molds!
Creative Cake System 7 piece mold set. Photo: S. Ewing/ISAC
As I mentioned, this set is part of the Katy Sue Creative Cake System, designed by Ceri Griffiths. The molds in our giveaway yesterday (butterfly trio, serrated rope, and small and medium ruffles) are also part of the Creative Cake System! Hold on to your hats, because there are two other molds too!! The Rose Medley (this can be seen on the yellow cake- the rose swag and individual roses on the bottom border) and the Micro and Mini Border set (teeny tiny versions of the barrels, C scrolls, S scrolls, scoops, serrated V, and shell border)! The Micro and Mini Border set is the perfect size for mini cakes and elegant cookies! The best news?
ISAC is carrying EVERYTHING in our store!!!! The butterfly trio, serrated rope, and small and medium ruffles are so brand spanking new, that they aren't even in stores yet, but they are on their way!
Cake by Ceri Griffiths. Photo: S. Ewing/ISAC
If you would like to snag the Creative Cake System 7-piece mold set at the ISAC exclusive special price you can click here. If you'd like to buy any of the other components of the Creative Cake System, you can click their names above! We hope you enjoy these amazing tools as much as we have so far!
Sweetly yours,
Stephanie
Don't just follow our blog! Follow Chef Lodge on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter!
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.
Um... who loves NEW PRODUCTS? And who loves FREE GIVEAWAYS??? You do?! Well, good news, because this is the blog for you! Chef Nicholas has been trying out some brand spanking new Katy Sue Cake Design molds- the Creative Cake System designed by Ceri Griffiths. There are four sets, and they are designed to use rolled fondant, gumpaste, marzipan, chocolate, candy, boiled sugar, cold porcelain and salt dough to replicate royal icing piping decorating elements.
Oh, and we are giving one lucky reader ALL FOUR SETS! Do you want to be the winner?
All four Katy Sue Designs Creative Cake System molds. Photo: S. Ewing/ISAC
We are just two and a half weeks away from our 2017 ISAC Spring Open House event! Hooray! On Saturday, March 18th, we are excited to be hosting two fabulous guest instructors: Marilyn Bawol and Michele Sweeney! Both of these ladies are super talented and will be giving exceptional demonstrations. You can read more about what each will do by clicking here. We are also so pleased that Michele will be teaching two fabulous classes in our Studio B: Sew Easy Mixed Medium on Sunday, March 19, and Shabby Chic Wedding Cake on Monday March 20. Yay! We can't wait for your classes Michele!
Michele Sweeney's Sew Easy Cake!
Michele's Shabby Chic Wedding Cake
There are still seats available for Open House and for both of Michele's classes, be sure to sign up soon to secure your seat!
I'll be honest, Chef Nicholas is the wild card at our Open House events. He keeps his demonstration plans a secret, even from us at ISAC, until pretty close to our Open House! I still have no idea what Chef Nicholas has in store for all of you, but Molly did tell me that he has a LOT of new and fun tools to debut at our 2017 Spring Open House. I love when Chef Nicholas is sharing new tools with everyone- he has a knack for finding the best products to use! Like the year he came back from Japan with a tiny Gingerbread House Cutter set (some of you may remember Scott used it in a Grand Holiday Open House demo a few years ago). Or when he created his EZ product line (I love that EZ release!).
Chef Nicholas demonstration rose cupcakes at last year's Open House
Yes, I think we are all in store for a treat at this year's Spring Open House as well as in Michele's two classes. We can't wait to see you all there! You can register online for our Open House and Michele's classes through our website by clicking the links above, or here.
ISAC 25th Anniversary Fact: In December 1996 ISAC enlarges its space with the addition of suite E.
Sweetly yours,
Stephanie
Don't just follow our blog! Follow Chef Lodge on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter!
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.
The categories for the 2017 SoFlo Cake Competition have been announced! Yay! Chef Nicholas was instrumental in choosing the categories and will be the lead judge! This year there will be three categories: Wedding Cakes, Theme Cakes, and Non-Cakes! Let me tell you all about it!