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Blog

The latest news, tips, and guides from Nicholas Lodge
Jun
03

Down Under Meets Down South

in  Company News
Down Under Meets Down South

Greg Cleary comes to ISAC

G'day mates: mark your cake decorating calendars! In August, Greg Cleary will be coming all the way from Brisbane, Australia to teach in Studio B! Yay!

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Studio B Nicholas Lodge gumpaste flowers cake decorating classes Greg Cleary
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Jun
01

Winners of the Birthday Blog!

in  Company News
Winners of the Birthday Blog!

As promised here are the winners of the Birthday Blog prizes! Thank you to everyone who commented on last week's blog! I do hope that all the winners listed below enjoy their prizes, whatever they may be!

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1 Comment
Tags:
Cake Decorating Craftsy Renshaw PME Certification Nicholas Lodge
Recent comment in this post
Guest — Takelya
Thanks so much!
Monday, 01 June 2015 17:05
  1 Comment
May
26

Happy Birthday Blog!

in  Company News
Happy Birthday Blog!

Today is an exciting day! Why, you ask? Today we celebrate the one year anniversary of the Nicholas Lodge Blog! Hooray!!! Writing this blog each week for all of you has been a lot of fun, and I have learned so much more about cake decorating and baking in the process! I have enjoyed researching each topic, consulting with Chef Nicholas on what you all would like to read about each week, and reading all the positive comments and emails we receive from our pleased readers (that's you!). So, how should we celebrate this momentous occasion? What's a birthday party without presents- let's giveaway some prizes!

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33 Comments
Tags:
Nicholas Lodge Renshaw Thank You Craftsy Cake Decorating
Recent Comments
Guest — Sue McCarthy New Bern NC
Stephanie, thank you for all the hard work you do to keep the blog going. Nick is a wonderful instructor with the patients of Jobe... Read More
Thursday, 28 May 2015 04:45
Guest — erika loff
I am a new subscriber. I have been enjoying the blogs a lot. I am excited to read them and I open them before any other email. I d... Read More
Thursday, 28 May 2015 07:06
Guest — erikaloff@gmail.com
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! I plan to be reading this blog for many years to come. I am pretty new in the cake world but I love anything Nic... Read More
Thursday, 28 May 2015 09:56
  33 Comments
May
18

Flavors of the World: Florals

in  Sweet Tricks and Cake Tips
Flavors of the World: Florals

Fantastic Floral Favorites!

Happy Thursday dear readers!! Today my humble offering is another Flavors of the World segment by Chef Nicholas! Chef Nicholas has a very refined, sophisticated palette, and he just loves floral flavors. I'll also be sharing two delicious recipes developed by the man himself- Vanilla Lavender Shortbread Cookies and Rose and Pink Champagne cupcakes! But enough about me; I'll let Chef Nicholas share his floral story with you.

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1 Comment
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Lavender Rose Nicholas Lodge cookies Flavors of the World
Recent comment in this post
Guest — Ikeolu Patricia Biobaku
Interesting read. Thank you for sharing. I am always a fan of yours.
Thursday, 21 May 2015 16:45
  1 Comment
May
06

BRAND NEW CLASSES WITH CHEF NICHOLAS!!

in  Nicholas Lodge Classes
BRAND NEW CLASSES WITH CHEF NICHOLAS!!

Chef Nicholas has TWO NEW CLASSES this summer! HOORAY! These two classes are being offered for the first time; some of the flowers have been taught by Chef Nicholas years ago in discontinued classes, and are back by popular demand by our wonderful students, and some flowers are being taught for the first time ever! Let's not stand on pretense, I'll tell you all about them right now!

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2 Comments
Tags:
cake decorating classes gumpaste flowers Nicholas Lodge Sale Cake decorating book
Recent Comments
Guest — Raquel Moore, Bryson City, NC
Please, please, please offer these two classes again!!! This is not enough notice and I definitely want to take both of them, than... Read More
Thursday, 14 May 2015 09:18
Guest — Ella
Do you do these in. Canada or on line
Thursday, 14 May 2015 12:00
  2 Comments
Apr
30

ICES 2015: Celebrate 40 Years of Good Times!

in  Chef Nicholas Classes on the Road
ICES 2015: Celebrate 40 Years of Good Times!

2015 ICES Convention

The 2015 ICES Convention is less than two months away, and this year we celebrate its 40th anniversary! If you have never attended an ICES Convention, why not start this year? There is a long list of classes, competitions, demos, and shopping to enjoy

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cake decorating classes gumpaste flowers ICES Convention Cake Show Nicholas Lodge
  0 Comments
Apr
27

It's time for camp... CAKE CAMP!

in  Chef Nicholas Classes on the Road
It's time for camp... CAKE CAMP!

Summer Camp is Better with Cake!

Who didn't love summer camp as a kid? Well, ok, probably a lot of kids, but only because they were too young to go to CAKE CAMP!! Every other year the California Cake Club hosts the weekend-long Cake Camp, and guess what? The 15th Cake Camp is this year: August 13-16, 2015, in Las Vegas, Nevada! There are demos, classes, and a vendor area (code for shopping!). There will be about 18 different retail booths in the vendor area, including our ever popular International Sugar Art Collection booth! There will be 29 wonderful instructors this year teaching a variety of techniques; all skill level classes will be offered, so there are classes for beginningers, experts, and everyone in between! Oh, and guess who will be teaching three 1-day flower classes at Cake Camp? That would be Chef Nicholas Lodge!

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Cake Camp cake decorating classes gumpaste flowers Nicholas Lodge
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Apr
21

Fancy French Pastry School Tools

in  Products We Love
Fancy French Pastry School Tools

A while back I shared a post on Chef Nicholas teaching at the French Pastry School (FPS) in Chicago. If you are a fan of Chef Nicholas' Facebook page, you'll know that his students finished up their Wedding Cake projects on Tuesday, and they are all spectacular! These students get wonderful instruction from Chef Nicholas (as anyone who has taken a class with him would agree), but they also have basic tool kits that provide all the essentials needed to make their Sweet 16 and Wedding Cake class projects. We sell these kits at ISAC specifically for the students at the French Pastry School, but I thought I would share all the included tools. Everyone needs to know the essentials to have in your cake decorating arsenal! Oh, and hey, maybe I'll give some stuff away too. Who doesn't love that?!

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18 Comments
Tags:
Nicholas Lodge French Pastry School fondant dusting powder cake decorating tools
Recent Comments
Guest — Jennine Quiring
my name is Jennine and I use the mini palett knife a lot. I enter baked goods at the California State fair. My favorite entries ar... Read More
Thursday, 23 April 2015 04:39
Guest — Ivy, email: tivy307@gmail.com
Oh Wow, many thanks for sharing, I do own most of these tools except the straight frill set 3, multiple ribbon cutter and the geom... Read More
Thursday, 23 April 2015 04:53
Guest — Kathleen louis......louiskathy@telkomsa.net
Hi Chef Nicholas and Stephanie Are those tools for sale as i have a few but would really love to have such a kit My favourite tool... Read More
Thursday, 23 April 2015 05:20
  18 Comments
Apr
13

Flavors of the World: Citrus

in  Company News
Flavors of the World: Citrus

Sensational Citrus

Welcome to our third installment of Flavors of the World! I am very excited to share Chef Nicholas' article today because it's all about citrus flavor, and this girl LOVES citrus flavors! Spoiler Alert! I share a favorite ISAC recipe in this blog! Without further ado, I will let Chef Nicholas tell you all the best uses for citrus flavoring!

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Scott Nicholas Lodge Flavors of the World Citrus
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Apr
08

With Friends like these...

in  Products We Love

Tremendously Talented Friends!

Since this is, in fact, Chef Nicholas Lodge's blog, I spend a lot of time talking about Chef Nicholas. Today I thought we would take a short break from that, and talk about some of Chef Nicholas's friends: Marina Sousa, Lauren Kitchens, and Alan Dunn! Each of these cake-decorating extraordinaires are near and dear to the entire ISAC team, and I have some interesting tidbits to share about each of them!

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cake decorating tools Lauren Kitchens Marina Sousa Alan Dunn Craftsy
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Mar
29

Spring Open Houses- Photo Blog

in  Company News

Spring has Sprung!

The entire ISAC team sincerely hopes that everyone who attended our Spring Open House this past Saturday enjoyed themselves! We certainly loved hosting not only all of our dear shoppers, students, and clients, we also immensely enjoyed hosting Susan Carberry as our guest instructor this year!  Much like I did after our Grand Holiday Open House, I thought I would focus on sharing photos instead of writing about the day!

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1 Comment
Tags:
Scott Nicholas Lodge Susan Carberry ISAC Open House cookies
Recent comment in this post
Guest — Gayle Kay
Oh how fun - thank you for sharing these photos. I wish I lived close enough to attend/visit ISAC. Love seeing these finished proj... Read More
Thursday, 02 April 2015 10:33
  1 Comment
Mar
23

Flavors of the World: Vanilla

in  Products We Love
Flavors of the World: Vanilla

Chef Nicholas' Vanilla Orchid. Photo: S. Ewing/ISAC

Very Versatile Vanilla

Welcome to the second segment of Chef Nicholas' Flavors of the World blog! Last time the topic was degustation, and you can read that blog by clicking here. Today we delve into actual flavors and Chef Nicholas thought we should start with perhaps the most famous of all the flavors available throughout the world: Vanilla! Be sure to read til the end for a chance to win!

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15 Comments
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Flavors of the World Nicholas Lodge Vanilla
Recent Comments
Guest — Gayle Kay gaylenekay@gmail.com
Hello - I love vanilla and I use it whenever I can bc it is one of my favorite flavors. I had no idea how it grew and was cultivat... Read More
Thursday, 26 March 2015 06:11
Guest — Cindy
Vanilla is one of my favorite flavors to add to food. I catch myself wanting to add it to almost every recipe. I will admit that I... Read More
Thursday, 26 March 2015 11:11
Guest — Christy Wendell
Nick, great article. Here's one of my favorite (and easiest!) vanilla bean recipes for Creme Brulee. Happy Spring! Crème Brulee •... Read More
Thursday, 26 March 2015 11:52
  15 Comments
Mar
16

Delightful DecoGel!

in  Products We Love
Delightful DecoGel!

It's been awhile since we had a Products We Love blog, and I thought it was about time to share a product that I've been dying to share with you since way back in November after our Grand Holiday Open House! Yeah, I know... I've been holding out on your for FOUR whole months with this product! Well, sit back, relax and allow me to share all the reasons that I love DecoGel!

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6 Comments
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DecoGel cake decorating tools Nicholas Lodge
Recent Comments
Guest — Shupan Abraham
Whew!!! Stephanie, that was a lot. Excellent job. Makes me just want to make something to be able to try out the DecoGel. I was... Read More
Thursday, 19 March 2015 08:39
Stephanie
Thank you so much Shupan! I'm so glad you enjoyed it and I hope you can try out DecoGel soon!
Thursday, 19 March 2015 21:35
Guest — Sarah
Can this product be poured into chocolate candy molds? Can the clear be used to make a glass slipper?
Thursday, 19 March 2015 13:35
  6 Comments
Mar
10

Flavors of the World: Degustation

in  Company News

In American Cake Decorating (ACD) magazine this coming year, Chef Nicholas will explore the flavors of Asia, Africa, Europe, India and the Middle East, the Americas, and everywhere in between! The proper use of these flavors, and how to integrate them into cakes and pastries, will be covered. You can look forward to recipes, hints, and tips and tricks, and resources! Since space in the magazine is limited, an edited version of what Chef Nicholas wrote is printed. I thought I would share his editorials here on the blog in their entirety! I'll be sharing them periodically over the next few months, and I hope you enjoy them! While the theme is FLAVORS of the World, we will start with degustation, or the tasting of food, before we delve into the different flavor profiles that are both universally popular and that are Chef Nicholas' favorites!

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3 Comments
Tags:
Nicholas Lodge Flavors of the World gumpaste flowers Craftsy
Recent Comments
Guest — Ivy
Hi Chef Nicholas With all the wealth of knowledge and experience as a pastry chef it would be great if you could cover cake flavor... Read More
Friday, 13 March 2015 05:38
Stephanie
Ivy- Chef Nicholas does not have a Craftsy class on flavors unfortunately. BUT, you are still in luck! Jenny McCoy, another wonder... Read More
Thursday, 19 March 2015 21:43
Guest — Ivy
Thanks Stephanie, Jenny is fantastic. I do have her class (creative flavors) and will soon buy her next class. I'll look out for C... Read More
Thursday, 26 March 2015 05:58
  3 Comments
Mar
03

Celebrate Spring with Chef Nicholas Lodge and ISAC

in  Company News
Celebrate Spring with Chef Nicholas Lodge and ISAC

Spring Open House and Susan Carberry!

The ISAC Spring Open House is just three weeks away on March 28, 2015! Unlike our Grand Holiday Open House, the spring event is only one day. One of the sessions has already filled up, but there are still three others you can sign up for. The sessions are filling up quickly, so if you want to come, give us a call today or sign up online! The best part about this year’s event is that Susan Carberry will be our very special guest instructor at Open House and then staying on after to teach THREE different classes in Studio B! Dying to know more about Susan and her classes? Well, allow me to enlighten you!

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Feb
19

Sugar Flowers Out of the Box!

in  Nicholas Lodge Classes
Sugar Flowers Out of the Box!

Chef Nicholas' Craftsy Class is ALMOST HERE!

There are only FOUR more days until Chef Nicholas' newest Craftsy class launches! Hooray! I know everyone reading this is doing a serious happy dance right now! How do I know? Because I see and read all the facebook comments, blog comments, and emails begging for Chef Nicholas to release new Craftsy classes. Hey, they don't call me the social media goddess for nothing. I thought since we have less than a week on the countdown, I would share a bunch of the project photos and tell you a bit about the class.

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6 Comments
Tags:
Nicholas Lodge gumpaste flowers Craftsy cake decorating classes
Recent Comments
Guest — tivy
Chef Nicholas is so talented and i'm so looking forward to this new class. Can't wait.
Thursday, 26 February 2015 04:49
Guest — Gayle Kay
Yippee - I can't wait for my favorite sugar chef's craftsy class!!!
Thursday, 26 February 2015 11:13
Guest — Deborah Verdon
So anxious to take this class. I want to become a sugar flower expert and sell my flowers and bouquets and sprays to other bakers.... Read More
Thursday, 26 February 2015 11:39
  6 Comments
Feb
08

Cupcakes and Cookies with the Red Hat Ladies

in  Studio B Classes
Cupcakes and Cookies with the Red Hat Ladies

Red Hat Happiness

For years, and I mean YEARS, the ISAC team has been just dying to connect with the Red Hat Society Ladies and to create a fun filled class just for them! For those of you who are not familiar with the Red Hat Society, it is a social organization for woman over fifty (although, now women of all ages can join) who just like to have fun! Starting back in 2010, Scott had me look into contacting this fantastic organization. Unfortunately, we were never able to connect with a local group and get a class going. Then we hit the jackpot!

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4 Comments
Tags:
cookies Molly royal icing Studio B
Recent Comments
Guest — !!!
Molly, OMG.....I am almost in tears reading this. THANK YOU SO MUCH, for your very kind words, AND.....THANK ALL OF YOU for being ... Read More
Thursday, 12 February 2015 10:38
Stephanie
We are so glad you ladies had as much fun as we did! We are looking forward to meeting many more Red Hat Ladies in the future!... Read More
Thursday, 12 February 2015 14:11
Guest — Gayle Kay
Hooray - I am a red hat lady and am so thrilled with your new venture!!! And as usual I have to say how much I adore Chef Nicholas... Read More
Thursday, 12 February 2015 11:56
  4 Comments
Feb
02

Dusting Powders Decoded

in  Products We Love
Dusting Powders Decoded

When I worked in the retail gallery here at ISAC, one of my favorite things to do was restock all the dusting powders: petal dusts, pearl dusts, luster dust, hologram (or disco) dust, and highlighters. Why? Because the colors are beautiful, and it seems to me as if ISAC offers every color imaginable!

As beautiful as all these colors are, we very often have people ask which of the dust powders will best suit their needs. I thought it might be helpful to everyone out there who wondered if they should get the luster dust or the pearl dust if I explained how each of the dusts are different! You will never again question which product you should buy!

Petal dust comes in many colors, and produces deep, bold, matte colors. If you have taken a class with Chef Nicholas, you have seen how using petal dust can add dimension to gumpaste flowers, and give them a natural and realistic appearance. Colors can be mixed together to create your own custom colors; you can lighten a color by adding cornstarch, or if you are dusting on a dark color you can add white petal dust. Petal dust is most often used dry, but it can be mixed with vodka for painting, or mixed with a bit of vegetable shortening to color gumpaste or to stencil a design.

Pearl dust is a fine, pearlescent dust that can be translucent or can have a very subtle reflective color, and works like magic in the NL Pump Brush. One of our best selling products, Super Pearl, is a staple in nearly all of Chef Nicholas' classes! Pearl dusts come in colors or you can mix super pearl can be mixed with petal dusts for subtle color with a bit of luster.

Sparkle dust comes in white and several colors. This dust has larger particles than pearl and luster dusts, and it is often used on flowers like hydrangeas and amayrillas as a finishing dust, and acts as a diffuser. Chef Nicholas white sparkle in his NL Pump Brush in many of his classes; when he makes strands of pearls in the NL E-Z Strand of Pearls mold he mixes white sparkle with vodka to paint the pearls.

Luster dust is like the child of petal and pearl dusts! It adds not only color, but also shimmer, shine, and dare I say... LUSTER! Chef Nicholas often mixes it with lemon extract for painting on rolled fondant. I love using luster dust; I think it makes everything look a bit fancier with a satiny finish.

Hologram (or disco) dust is comparable to glitter, and comes in a huge variety of colors. It will not impart any color like brushing petal dust onto a surface will, but it will make your project sparkly.The best way to use get hologram dust to adhere to your project is spray laquer! Place your lettering, flower, etc on plastic wrap or other covered surface and spray it lightly with the laquer. The sprinkle on the hologram dust with a small shaker to ensure even coverage. If you want to make something red, start off with red gumpaste, spray it with laquer, and sprinkle on the red highlighter dust! Our most popular hologram dust is Snow Sparkle; it gives an iridescent sparkle that is really gorgeous.

Last but not least is highlighter dust! It comes in gold, silver, and bronze and gives a very high-sheen metallic finish. It is usually not edible and should only be used on decorative pieces that will not be eaten, like a plaque. Chef Nicholas usually mixes it with confectioner's glaze for royal icing pieces or with citrus oils (lemon or orange) for ribbons. In Chef Nicholas' Craftsy class, Custom Lettering and Monograms, there is an entire lesson on metallics. Hey, would you like the class for 50% off? Sure you do, just click here!

Lettering

With the exception of hologram dust, which is sprinkled onto a project, all other dusting powders can be simply brushed onto fondant, gumpaste, chocolate, or royal icing. However, for more intense colors or even application, a few drops of grain alcohol or vodka can be mixed in. Water shouldn't be used as most dusting powder is not water soluble; mixing it with water would just create a sticky mess.

ISAC carries a HUGE range of dusting powders! Chef Nicholas even has a number of exclusively created colors that cannot be found anywhere else! Dusting powders are an important part of any cake decorator's arsenal, and knowing the difference is a necessity when starting new projects!

Only 11 days until my new Craftsy class, Nicholas Lodge's Sugar Flowers Out of the Box, launches on March 2, 2015! You can enter for a chance to win the class for free by clicking here, just be sure to enter by March 1, 2015!

Sweetly Yours,

Stephanie

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

Winner bestiblog

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

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4 Comments
Tags:
Nicholas Lodge dusting powder cake decorating tools Cake Decorating
Recent Comments
Guest — Ruth Dunn
Great blog Stephanie! I'm saving this one to my favorites in my bookmarks. I always get confused on which powder to use when. Th... Read More
Thursday, 19 February 2015 08:32
Guest — Rae
This info is extremely helpful. However, it would be most useful to clearly state that "hologram [disco dust]" is not just "comp... Read More
Thursday, 19 February 2015 17:59
Guest — Marie
Hi just wanted to know if there are expiration dated to these?i have pearl dust,petal dust from 2013,which was 2 years ago.Are the... Read More
Thursday, 23 July 2015 20:56
  4 Comments
Jan
30

Upcoming Fun with Chef Nicholas and ISAC

in  Nicholas Lodge Classes
Upcoming Fun with Chef Nicholas and ISAC

Hello dear friends! Can you believe that January is already over?! Chef Nicholas is busy imparting knowledge to students at the French Pastry School as we speak, lucky ducks! He did want me to share some fun upcoming events with you all though!

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2 Comments
Tags:
Cake Show gumpaste flowers ISAC Open House Nicholas Lodge
Recent Comments
Guest — Sue McCarthy New Bern N.C.
Thanks Stephanie. For all your hard work. Look forward to the open house in March.
Thursday, 05 February 2015 09:20
Stephanie
Thank you so much Sue!
Thursday, 05 February 2015 14:00
  2 Comments
Jan
28

Chef Nicholas and Renshaw: Part II

in  Company News
Chef Nicholas and Renshaw: Part II

Happy Thursday everyone! Last week I shared the news that Chef Nicholas has become the Brand Ambassador for Renshaw's line of rolled fondant and gumpaste. Chef Nicholas wanted to share the store of how rolled fondant was initially brought over to the US, and below is his account of how it all happened! I hope you all enjoy!

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5 Comments
Tags:
fondant Gumpaste Nicholas Lodge Renshaw
Recent Comments
Guest — Gayle Kay
Three cheers for the great Chef Nicholas - what a marvel you are! I am so pleased you shared your story with us readers and I am w... Read More
Thursday, 29 January 2015 21:37
Guest — fredsimiyu8@gmail.com
thanks nicholas and ranshaw,you have agood experience. iwish to working with you to learn from you. chef fred _kenya
Sunday, 24 May 2015 14:29
Guest — fredsimiyu8@gmail.com
thanks nicholas and ranshaw,you have agood experience. iwish to working with you to learn from you. chef fred _kenya
Sunday, 24 May 2015 14:29
  5 Comments
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