I went a Day of Sharing in the Houston area, and ended up winning a raffle prize to attend a class with Michelle Bommarito the following day. Those of you who follow the Cake Challenges may remember her most recent competition for the Sex in the City cakes (she was assigned Carrie). Michelle's class covered "Tricks of the Trade". She's a wedding cake designer, so I didn't know how much of that lecture was really going to pertain to me and my little ol' birthday and shower cakes. It was a group of about ten students, so we were able to sit directly across the table from her, have a close-up, clear view of what she was doing, and be able to ask questions as she was working. Then she starts talking about how she likes to make her ZEBRA STRIPES!!! BINGO!!! I had been commissioned to make a graduation cake for the next weekend that was to have that element! I haven't been happy with my zebra stripes on some other projects in the past, but couldn't figure out why, or what was wrong with them, they just didn't ever look "right" to me. Perfect timing!
After the class, I took a chance and a deep breath, and went up to her and asked her if she would look at a photo (thanks goodness for smart phones!) of my previous stripes and tell me how to fix them. Now, this gal is not from the South, and she talks really fast. Super fast. I guess I had a deer-in-the-headlights look as she was giving me my consult, because she paused and said, "Now, babe, you told me you wanted me to critique your work!" I started laughing and had to tell her that yes, I DO want your critique, I'm just excited that you're willing to help me out, and I don't have time to write down everything you're saying, and I'm trying to memorize every little bit of advice you're willing to give, so my head is spinning! I got some great pointers from her and was so excited to try out her methods the next week for the graduation cake.
