You asked for her, and here she is......Baker's Dozen with Lauren Kitchens!

Hello cake boys and girls!  At the end of my last post, I asked you who you'd like to see interviewed.  One of those names that received many votes was the beautiful, the talented....Lauren Kitchens!  Within hours of putting the idea out there, Lauren replied and we got the train moving!  She is amazingly talented and we are so lucky to get to pick her brain!

Morsels By Mark: Lauren, thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer these questions. You are amazingly talented. Where did you learn the trade?


Lauren Kitchens: Thanks so much, Mark. I’m not from the pastry world. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Film and Art History. Throughout college,  I was making cakes and trying to find direction and inspiration beyond the Wilton world. Don’t get me wrong, Wilton has brought cake decorating to the mainstream by making tools and classes available in every city for decades, but I was looking for challenging work to push me. This was about the time when the Internet was starting to boom. But there was still no cake on-line, and certainly no cake-TV.   I was able to get my hands on Colette Peters’ first book. That book was breathing with inspiration and imagination. For a lot of us, she guided cake instruction and decoration into the next generation.

MBM: Who are your inspirations in the cake world?

LK: I am inspired by any cake artist who is able to blaze their own path. Whether it’s Ron Ben Israel with his consistently mind-blowing perfection, Mary and Brenda Maher and their strong artistic presence, or Anne Heap with her delightful style and brilliant mass-marketing…. The list goes on and on.  I continue to be inspired and impressed with cake sculptors. These are the ones who excited me and make me want to be a better artist. Karen Portaleo, Debbie Goard, Roland Winbeckler…. Love them all. Mike McCarey has been the most influential for me as far as setting the bar. His work has changed the way I look at cake decorating and what is possible. He continues to influence the cake world and keep the bar raised to untouchable heights.

MBM: If you were to describe yourself as a cake, what kind of cake would you be and why?

LK: Hmmmmm. Not topsy turvy, not a traditional tiered cake either. Geez, Mark, it’s always hard for me to be introspective. Ok… I will throw the question back at you. If you were to describe me as a cake, what kind of cake would I be?

MBM: You would be a Ron Ben Israel wedding cake - beautiful, yet classic and elegant.  Well structured and awe inspiring!  (Yeah, it wasn't a hard question ;) )
MBM: You are well known for competing on the Food Network. How do you prepare for such a competition?

LK: That’s a difficult, energy sucking, expensive stress machine that I take very seriously, maybe too seriously. Challenge is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Giving birth was easier for me!  In order to succeed it’s vital to have an acute knowledge of the techniques you are bringing to the show, but you have to be organized! If you don’t know how to organize your plan of action, or your kitchen set-up, your timeline or your assistant’s duties,  then you can’t succeed well on that show no matter how talented you are. The show is set up for you to fail because that’s good TV.

     The one thing that is most valuable for me in preparing for a Challenge is to do a timed run-through at my shop. My assistants and I get everything ready, we even arrange our worktables into the layout they have on set. We start the clock and give ourselves 8 hours. I never finish the cake in 8 hours the first time, but at least I know how to tighten up the timeline before we leave for the actual competition.

MBM: What is your favourite flavour of cake?

LK: Any chocolate cake with sea salt caramel and toffee. A little ganache won’t hurt either. I like ‘em dark and a little satly!

MBM: I have to say, I have a small cake crush in you. Do you have any cake crushes?

LK: Mark, you’re such a dork! (MBM: sounds like I'm interviewing my wife!)  That’s sweet.  I have a huge crush on Kate Sullivan in New York. Each of her cakes are precious pieces of art.  Paris Cutler of Planet Cake in Australia. I love her style. And she has managed to turn her cake boutique into a successful school as well.  Wayne and Chuck at Swank Cake…I will look through their Facebook cake portfolio every week to see if they’ve posted new cakes.

MBM: What is the one cake toy you can't live without?

LK: The Ateco round cutter set and my I-wata airbrush.

MBM: You are one of the most popular celebrity instructors out there, especially for your "muppet" cake class - do you have any plans on releasing an instructional DVD on Muppetizing to reach a broader audience?

LK:  My plan for 2012 is to release my first cake instructional DVD. I know I want to focus on cake structure and sculpting because that’s what most decorators ask me about.  The Muppet class is such a fun class to teach, but the interaction that I have with the students would be lost with a DVD. Each student Muppetizes someone they know, so all of the Muppets at the end of the day are different. It’s just as much a caricature class as a modeling chocolate/sculpting class. The students wouldn’t be able to get their specifics needs met with instruction from a DVD. This class requires an intimate setting.  (MBM:  Note to self - try and get LK to Montreal :) )

MBM: What is your favourite thing about our industry?

LK: Facebook. It has become a strong avenue of communication and exposure. It is quickly building up our cake community. I have met many cake decorators and formed important business relationships and friendships through Facebook. It also allows all of us to post pictures of our work and, as well, ask for help. It is invaluable to our industry.

MBM: What is your least favourite thing about the industry?

LK: Yeah right, Mark. Like I’m gonna answer that one.

MBM: What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?

LK: “Challenge is either won or lost by the time you leave your shop.” – Mike McCarey

MBM: Who would you love to design a cake for?

LK: I would love to make for Andy Warhol. Just a stack of random sculpted cakes like a bike wheel, a cup of soda, a trashcan, and a bowl of cereal.  He would probably stand back and give a quite, “Cool.” He wouldn’t be picky, especially since he defined art as anything and everything around us. Even if the cake had some seams and dings he would say it’s art. Easy customer!

MBM: Do you have any advice for budding cake artists out there?

LK: Yeah. Keep making cakes. Make a cake for any one or any reason. Make a cake just to take a picture of it. And photograph all of your work. Nothing will help you more in your craft than practice. And there are so many resources out there for beginning cake artists. The Internet, books, DVDs, cake shows and competitions, cake TV…. It’s a good time to be a beginner!

Again, I want to really thank you Lauren for taking the time to deliver such a fun interview!  Even in written word your bubbling personality comes through!!!

Keep the requests coming guys!  I will try my best to get you the interviews you want to see!  Have something you want asked, let me know in the comments section and I will build it into that interview!  I have a few more projects in the works for other sites including Decorate The Cake and The Foam Studio.  Keep checking back here for updates as to when they are posted!

Until next time,
Happy Caking!