Chef Nicholas, Scott, Molly, Carol, Janet, Ann, and I all want to wish you the very best this Christmas! This is the time of year when it is important to reflect on the year we have had and remember all of good times we have shared. The ISAC family is grateful for all of our students, clients, as well as all of the amazing guest instructors who visited and taught in Studio B this year. 

Most of all, Chef Nicholas and Scott were thrilled to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the International Sugar Art Collection. In 1992, Chef Nicholas and Scott opened shop. I think I speak for all of my co-workers when I said that we were honored to be a part of ISAC during such a meaningful and emotional time. 

Your ISAC family wishes you a happy and healthy Christmas. We hope to celebrate with you for another 25 years! Merry Christmas everyone!

Sweetly yours, 

Stephanie 

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.

For several years now, ISAC has been making Edible Snow Globes during the holiday season. .We have even hosted several competitions for Edible Snow Globes; the submissions were pretty spectacular! This year the Edible Snow Globe Domes were part of our 12 Days of Christmas sale! I have good news. If you are still trying to decide on a gift for a co-worker or teacher, or would like a fun family activity to do over the holiday, you'll be pleased to know that we have extended our sale price for the Edible Snow Globe Domes! This set of 6 (which include the domes and the bases) is normally $12.99, but the sets are currently on sale for only $4.95 (plus S&H)! 

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS! Last week the Omni Grove Park Inn hosted its annual National Gingerbread Competition, marking 25 years of this amazing event. People of all ages, from all over the world, bake and decorate and make their way to Asheville, North Carolina every November to show off their delicious masterpieces. And these gingerbread "houses" are truly masterpieces. 

The special anniversary also meant that the FoodNetwork was on site filming this year's competition! Scott wasn't able to get quite as many photos this year due to all the filming. Bad news for Scott... BUT good news for all of you because the FoodNetwork will be airing the Omni Grove Park Inn National Gingerbread House Competition's 25th Anniversary Special sometime in December. The special will be an hour long, and as soon as we know the details with date and air-time I will share it with you here on the blog!

Let's take a look at some of Chef Nicholas' favorite entries from each of the categories, starting with the Child group.

Selections from the Youth Category:

The talented teen category:

Without further ado.... I give you the top three finishers from the 25th Annual Omni Grove Part Inn National Gingerbread House Competition

Third Place

Second Place

Grand Prize Winner!

I also wanted to spotlight the judging team! Once again, Chef Nicholas was Lead Judge, and his team this year was spectacular! They do not have an easy job. No, sir. There are so many entries in each category, and a set of very specific rules that must be followed. Occasionally some of the entries are even drilled into to ensure all rules have be respected. 

Thanksgiving is here once again. Hopefully during this holiday you will be gathering with family and friends and sitting down to share a meal at your home or the home of a friend or loved one. If you choose or prefer, a cafe or restaurant, there is nothing wrong with that. No shopping, prepping or dishes to wash!

All of us at ISAC would like to take this opportunity to say, “thank you,” to each of you. We are very grateful and appreciative to each of you; the students seeking to learn by attending a class, a demonstration or watching one of our Facebook Live sessions. The customers who walked into our gallery, stopped by our booth at a cake or trade show or clicked on and visited our web site. Thank you! Every day, not just this time of year at Thanksgiving, but every day. We understand you have a choice when seeking out your sugar art and cake decorating supplies, and we thank you for choosing Nicholas Lodge and ISAC. We constantly strive to offer you only the best products, backed up by our helpful, knowledgeable and friendly customer service.

Also your continued support helped us reach a major milestone. This past July, ISAC celebrated our 25th anniversary. Yes, 25 years of classes, teaching, demonstrations, magazine articles, instructional DVD’s and on-line classes. But none of this would have happened, or would have been needed, without the support of our fantastic students, customers, and shoppers. Again, we say “thank you!”

Everyone at ISAC hopes you have a safe, fun and enjoyable Thanksgiving. Let’s grab that turkey wishbone together and make a wish...a wish for an even better tomorrow for all of us.

Happy Thanksgiving!

From, Nicholas, Scott, Molly, Ann, Stephanie, Janet & Carol

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.

Well, it's a wrap folks! ISAC's 2017 Grand Holiday Open House weekend was fantastic! We had two fantastic guests, Tunde Dugantsi and Reva Alexander-Hawk. They, along with Chef Nicholas, offered three exciting and inspiring demonstrations. As has become tradition, this week will be a photo blog dedicated to the weekend's festivities! However, before I share photos from the event, I wanted to remind everyone that the NL Collection by Katy Sue Designs officially launched this week! You can purchase all of Chef Nicholas' new molds from our website, click here. If you were at our Grand Holiday Open House, you got to see these amazing molds in action before anyone else in the world!

Big, BIG news to share! If you missed the big announcement yesterday, Chef Nicholas has collaborated with Katy Sue Designs to create four autumn and winter themed molds! Here is a quote from yesterday's press release:

With our Grand Holiday Open House just a few weeks away, I know that you are all looking forward to seeing all of the fun tools that Chef Nicholas, Chef Reva, and Chef Tunde will be sharing in their demos. Usually our Open House events turn into a bit of a shopping frenzy. But, never fear! I am here to share an easy tool that will allow you to make a list of all the cake decorating, cookie decorating, or sweets making tools that your heart desires!

I am excited to tell you all about the WISHLIST feature on our 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.

Boy oh boy. Chef Nicholas is always a busy guy. This year, this fall specifically, Chef Nicholas is taking busy to a whole new level. Beginning on September 21, Chef Nicholas has not had a single day off. And he still has so much to do before the end of the year! I thought maybe I would just give you all a glimpse into Chef Nicholas' schedule!

This year not only marks the 25th anniversary of Nicholas Lodge's International Sugar Art Collection, it also marks the 25th anniversary of another tradition that the ISAC family holds near and dear: the Omni Grove Park Inn National Gingerbread House Competition! 

I am so excited to tell everyone that the 2018 SoFlo Cake & Candy Expo tickets are now on pre-sale!! Why am I so excited? As many of you know, Chef Nicholas has been lead judge for the competitions for years, and Renshaw Americas has been a big sponsor of the event. So, the ISAC family is always excited for SoFlo! 

This October Chef Nicholas is thrilled to be attending not one, but TWO fantastic cake and sweets shows: the Show Me Sweets Edible Art and Cake Competition and Canada's Baking and Sweets Show. This will be the first time that Chef Nicholas attends either of these shows, and is excited to bring his skills and expertise to the attendees. Chef Nicholas will be offering seminars at both shows, and the best news? Chef Nicholas seminars are free!*

Summer is coming to a close. The busy summer wedding season is wrapping up, and depending on where you live, the kids are either back at school, or will be in the next couple of weeks. The days will soon become cooler and longer as fall begins. Why not sharpen some of your cake decorating skills, as the summer rush slows down? Chef Nicholas has a lot of fantastic classes coming up this fall, and he would love to see you in class! 

Sweet Fest Business Convention is back in Atlanta, September 21-24, 2017! This is not your every ay cake show. Sweet Fest Con is aimed at helping aspiring and established professionals in the baking and sweets industry! Whether you make cakes, cookies, or candies, Sweet Fest Con can give you valuable tools to start, grow, and manage your business successfully!

At the 2017 Sweet Fest Con, Chef Nicholas was honored to be one of the seminar presenters; his discussion topic was branding and sponsorship. No surprise there- Chef Nicholas is the Brand Ambassador for Renshaw Americas! As one of the 2017 Sweet Fest Business Convention sponsors, Renshaw Americas is pulling out all of the stops! EACH AND EVERY conference attendee will be participating in a Renshaw Academy hands-on class!! Playing with all of the exciting Renshaw Americas products? Um, yes please!

Chef Nicholas, Renshaw Americas' Brand Ambassador, has been in Liverpool, England all week. He, and the nine Brand Ambassador Partners, have been having an amazing time visiting the Renshaw headquarters! On Monday they took a fabulous tour of the Renshaw Factory, seeing where all the amazing products are made (not just for us, but for the royal family as well!!). They also got to spend some time at the state of the art Renshaw Academy!

Well, I didn't think it was fair for those lucky ducks to get all the Renshaw love. Nope. So I wanted to share some of my own Renshaw goodness with you, including their new, and absolutely AMAZING, color guide! 

Monday marked Chef Nicholas Lodge's International Sugar Art Collection's 25th Anniversary. Chef Nicholas, Scott, and the rest of the ISAC family are incredibly proud of this achievement. Thank you to everyone who sent flowers, cards, texts, messages, and came to celebrate with us last weekend and Monday. The outpouring of support and well-wishes meant so very much to Chef Nicholas and Scott. ISAC is here because of their hard work and dedication. They have dedicated themselves to bettering the sugar arts world, and I think they have done just that. Scott asked that I share some of the photos from this weekend here on the blog. I hope you all enjoy!

Thank you again to everyone who helped make the ISAC 25th Anniversary weekend a great success! We, the entire ISAC family, truly appreciate all the love and support our students, clients, friends, and family have shown these past 25 years. Thank you for helping Chef Nicholas and Scott to this place! 

ISAC 25th Anniversary Fun Fact: In 2007, Chef Nicholas and Scott host the first Spring Open House event!

Sweetly yours, 

Stephanie

Don't just follow our blog! Follow Chef Lodge on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter!

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. 

Hello friends! I needed to add a correction to the blog!

In-house, Chef Nicholas Lodge classes for the remainder of 2017 are included in the 25% off sale. To secure the 25% off special pricing, you must register for the classes in person at our store, or over the phone: (800)-662-8925.

In addition, the International Sugar Art Collection 25th Anniversary - Part 1 video is now working correctly on the blog. Below the video you find a link to International Sugar Art Collection 25th - Part 2. 

In just two days ISAC will celebrating our 25th Anniversary with a party at our Norcorss, Georgia retail gallery and school! There will be giveaways and prizes, a raffle, and... drum roll please.....

25% OFF THE ENTIRE STORE*!!!

*In stock items only, no speical orders, no layaway. Applies to physical store location only, excludes items on website. In-house Nicholas Lodge classes ARE included in the sale; must call to register for the special pricing.**

Well. I have been mentioning for months that the Nicholas Lodge International Sugar Art Collection is celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year. On July 17, 1992, Chef Nicholas and Scott opened the doors to ISAC, and here we are 25 years later ready to celebrate this momentous occasion. I mentioned last week that only one third of small business make it past the 10 year mark; only one quarter make it past the 15 year mark. Well, ISAC blew past 15 years TEN years ago! This is a very big deal to the entire ISAC family. All of our hard work and dedication has always been for our loyal fan base. 

Because ISAC would not have made it this far without our students, customers, clients, friends, and families, Chef Nicholas and Scott are hosting an anniversary party at our Norcross, GA retail gallery and school! There will be yummy refreshments, and some fun prizes and giveaways!

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!