Train stations, jewelry boxes and ghetto blasters may not sound all that tasty, but a new generation of cake makers is expanding the boundaries of edible art.
Burnaby resident Mark Tagulao is a member of the Vancouver Cake Society, a group bringing extreme cake making to the Lower Mainland.
Tagulao first became interested in cake decorating as an art form and was inspired by shows like the Food Network's Ace of Cakes and TLC's Cake Boss, he said.
Next month, the society is holding Cake Love 2011, a three-day cake decorating conference at the Delta Vancouver Airport Hotel, featuring instructors who have appeared on popular cake decorating shows.
"I'm pretty impressed with the lineup of instructors," Tagulao said.
Celebrity cake designers include Susan Carbarry, Norm Davis, Pat Jacoby, and Anne Heap - competitors on TLC's Ultimate Cake Off - and Colette Peters and Laura Kitchens, winners of Food Network cake challenges.
Tagulao, who only recently started apprenticing with cake decorator April Bellia, first studied to be a pastry chef.
"I see this as adding to my belt of what I can offer as a pastry chef," he said. "I know cake decorating is not really in the pastry chef field, but I think the more skills I attain, the more I can offer when I open my own business."
Tagulao and instructor Bellia are both members of the Vancouver Cake Society, which formed in March 2010.
The society decided to hold Cake Love after seeing similar events in place like Los Vegas, but not here, said Tanya Muller, promotions co-ordinator for the event.
"It was organized by a few local cake decorators in the city who were looking to expand their knowledge and bring some sort of excitement and classes to the city, because there's really a lack of that here," she said.
The timing was perfect as the Olympics had just ended, and many of the instructors and participants were keen on coming to Vancouver, Muller said.
"It's been amazing, we have people coming from all over the world," she said. "People were excited to come here. We had to say no to people."
But those instructors who were not able to be part of this Cake Love have asked to teach at the next one, she added.
At this time, about 150 people have registered for the conference, Muller said, and they have room for 250 to 300.
Subjects range from creating sugar flowers to making three-dimensional monster cakes, air brushing to folk art painting.
Cake Love runs from Sept. 23 to 25 at the Delta Vancouver Airport Hotel.
Registration is open until Sept. 15. Those interested in registering or seeing the class schedule can do so at www.cakeloveyvr.com.
The society is also looking for volunteers for the three-day conference. To volunteer, email [email protected].
