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| Photo: Farro Photographers |
You know where I'm going with this, don't you? We aren't going to talk about the dress or the rings or the venue.
We're going to talk about THE CAKE. The ultimate perfection in cake. Wedding cake, that is. Grab a cup of coffee and get cozy. Warning: This is a very long post, but you are going to adore my guest today! Do stick around for the giveaway, too!
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| Photo: Martha Stewart Weddings |
Contributing Editor, Martha Stewart Living
Co-Author of Martha Stewart Wedding Cakes (Clarkson Potter, 2007)
Owner, Wendy Kromer Confections
Owner, WK Cafe, Sandusky, OH
Pastry & Baking Program graduate, Peter Krump School of Culinary Art (now The Institute of Culinary Education)
Countless publications and television features
Paris-based Fashion Model
Pastry & Baking Program graduate, Peter Krump School of Culinary Art (now The Institute of Culinary Education)
Countless publications and television features
Paris-based Fashion Model
When I was thinking about what I wanted for my wedding cake, I continued being drawn to a style of cake that none of our local bakeries could provide. The kind that I was seeing in magazines, to be specific. You know, like Martha Stewart Weddings magazine. I wanted to find out who was making these beautiful works of art, and found out about Wendy. She was just about an hour north of me in Sandusky, Ohio. This was destiny.
Long story short, my husband-to-be and I made a great road trip to visit Wendy for a consultation. I brought along a few ideas from my wedding planner including some fabric swatches, venue information, and some Italian Florentine paper I was using in my invitations. At that point, there was a twinkle in Wendy's eye...
I cannot say what vision she had in her head, but I'm pretty sure she saw the paper and her wheels were spinning. She asked to keep a few samples of paper and fabric and would work on a sketch for us. When she offered us tastes of a variety of cakes and fillings, we were tickled with her "Hummingbird Cake" - perfect for a garden wedding! She even gilded the lily and offered orange liqueur to keep the cake moist with a delicately flavored orange Swiss meringue buttercream.
From paper to fairy tale:
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| Family Photos |
A truly 3-D version of our Florentine paper, made modern with vibrant aqua vines the exact color of my maid of honor's dress.
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| Photo: Farro Photographers |
Our cake was enrobed so perfectly, so delicately in fondant, I was speechless. The flowers sprang to life on the cake. She drove the cake two hours from Sandusky to our venue personally, and made certain it remained perfect.
I will never forget seeing Wendy at the drop off, feeling like a beam of light had dropped her there with this unforgettable representation of our special day. She totally nailed it. She made me feel like a queen. I may have been her thousanth bride, but that day I felt like there had never been a wedding before mine. No one has had or will have a cake just like mine...
How does one woman become the Angel of Wedding Cake? I reached out to her and asked, and this is what she said:
ST: What happened between the 10 years in Paris on the runways and
your enrollment in a New York City pastry and baking program? Was it all those French patisseries?
WKS: There was a lot of “living”
& “maturing” going on in the 10 yrs between graduating from college
(Cleveland, OH) and enrolling in a Pastry Arts program (NYC).
I graduated with a degree in
Fashion Merchandising, hoping to eventually become a Buyer. A few months after graduating I was invited
to spend 2 weeks in Paris w/family who were living there. While there, I fell in love with the country,
the history, the food, the fashion. My
Aunt could see that I loved it, and bless-her-heart, she told me I could stay
longer, if I wanted. She knew I had done
some modeling during College and suggested I give it a try in Paris. I did, and after a year I signed with one of
the top agencies for runway models. My
career as a model is what enabled me to travel the world, exposing me to different
cultures & cuisines. As I had always
had a love for pastries, I would especially take note of them in the countries
I’d visit. Over those 10 years I had to be
very disciplined when it came to diet/health (in order to keep “model” thin), so,
I think when it came time to leave modeling, my inner-pendulum swung to food!
ST: It seems like your time spent with Colette Peters in NYC was a
catalyst into the next level of your career.
Is this where your sugar-as-art got everyone’s attention?
WKS: Working with Colette Peters was
a great opportunity, and indeed I found her and her work inspiring. Colette exposed me to working with rolled
fondant, modeling chocolate, and gum paste. Those were mediums not yet taught in the
Pastry Arts programs, and were mediums I found I had the “knack” for. After a year with Colette, I was still not
certain that the path of Cake Decorating was for me. I had a brief stint in part-time catering (a
schedule I found was not to my taste) and as an assistant to a few Food Stylists
in the NY area.
ST: Your background in fashion & design obviously lends itself to
the decorating part of the confection business.
What else about baking gives you the “I love my job” feeling?
WKS: I love “creating” in the
kitchen as much as I love the decorating process; but Baking is a “discipline”
and I guess I’m drawn to that. I’m very
different when I’m “cooking”…when I cook I just make dishes up; but in Baking,
you have to understand the “why’s & how’s”, or you’ve wasted time &
ingredients. I like that challenge.
ST: Martha Stewart Living shined the spotlight on your talent with
wedding cakes over the years. Is this
your favorite category of pastry and baking?
WKS: I would have to say
yes. Both Baking & Decorating are my
strengths, and I thank Martha & the MSO Editors for 17 yrs of work on
inspiring, challenging, beautiful stories!
ST: Your work is known for its delicacy and intricacy (as well as beauty). What influences have driven your details over the years?
ST: You have personally flown your cakes some pretty impressive
distances for your clients. Was this
always a part of your plan to share your craft or did it come from the exposure
from MSL?
WKS: Honestly, up until about 9
yrs ago, I had no “plan”. I was just
focused on doing what I loved, and thrilled to go wherever it took me. (This was easy to do for about 10 years, as I
was single & had no children.) Once
I realized this was a bona fide “business”, I started work on a “business plan”.
ST: Everyone thinks Martha must be difficult to work with, but the
quality and professionalism you brought to the table made it easy, RIGHT?
ST: As a contributing editor for MSL, you must find yourself in NYC
quite a bit. Why did you stick to your
Sandusky, Ohio roots?
WKS: You can take the girl out of
the Midwest, but you can’t take the Midwest out of the girl. My Ohio roots never left me. After traveling & living in major
metropolitan areas for 20 years, I learned the world is pretty easy to get
around. Also, thanks to the Internet,
one can live pretty much anywhere, as long as they can find a way to get their product
where it needs to go. When my Father
called to say he was going to sell our family home (an 1890’s Victorian “gal
w/good bones”), I realized the only place I had ever called “home” was in
Sandusky. I told him he had a
“buyer”.
WKS: Oh, I’m so happy to hear
this! I enjoy meeting potential clients,
most of them newly-engaged couples. I
love to hear the stories of how they met/got engaged; and I find that each
couple has a unique, personal vision of their Wedding Day. It is an honor to be asked to participate in
what I believe is one of life’s most precious gifts … the day 2 people purposefully
set out on life’s journey together. Sorry,
this sounds incredibly hoakie, but I’m a Romantic.
WKS: Sometimes it is “literal”
translation…
-Calico & other fabrics/fashion
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| Photos: Martha Stewart Weddings |
-Wedgwood china
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| Photo: Martha Stewart Weddings |
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| Photos: Martha Stewart Weddings |
ST: Beauty aside, let’s talk flavor.
Your cakes are far more than a base for a lovely design. Are your clients surprised at how spectacular
TASTING a wedding cake can be? Why do
you think other bakers put less effort into the quality of the cake itself?
WKS: We put as much effort into
the interior of the Wedding Cake, as the exterior. When couples come for their
Tasting Appointment, they are given the opportunity taste all of our cake
layers, fillings, and potential cake coverings (buttercream, marzipan, rolled
fondant, or chocolate). They are then
encouraged to create their own wedding dessert. Yes, it would be easier for us
to simply give them slices of cakes with fillings & frostings “we” think
are delicious, but where’s the “couple” in that? We aim to let the couple create their own
Dessert for their guests. Yes, this
costs us more to do (in both time & materials), but we’ve found our clients
love the process… as do I! Most of my
Tasting appointments with clients last about 2 hours. During this time they not only “work” through a
few platters of cake layers & fillings; we also discuss the design details
for their Wedding Day, giving me a jump start on the design process for their
Wedding Cake.
ST: Fondant has been supremely popular in the past decade. Yours is the only one I have experienced that
didn’t taste like a thick sheet of plastic.
What is everyone else doing wrong or what can they do right?
WKS: Oftentimes, I’ve found that
folks have either experienced Fondant that was either rolled to thick, or was “old”. If Fondant is not rolled thin enough, it
results in a thick, chewy texture … an unpleasant surprise to most guests. If “taste” is a problem, I more-often-than-not
think they’ve experienced Fondant that was past its prime. When Fondant reaches its expiration, it gets rancid,
and can taste like dish soap.
It’s important to work with
Fondant with thoroughly-cleansed hands on a sterile work surface. Some other tips to consider:
-use as little corn starch
or confectioners’ sugar as possible when rolling out
-rolling scraps is fine,
once any residual frosting/cake crumbs/fillings etc. have been trimmed away.
-as a general rule-of-thumb,
if the fondant starts to feel a little dry, save that fondant for other
“decorative” uses. Soft, fresh fondant
will yield the best results when covering tiers.
ST: Enough about cakes. You’ve
evolved your bakery in Sandusky and now have WK Café. Tell us what’s changed
and what has stayed the same?
WKS: What has changed is that on
top of my Wedding Cake and Teaching/Consulting work, I also have a retail
business that has had to speculate on what people might want (in our area), and
what I enjoy making. Sadly enough, the 2
don’t meet often enough for my liking.
When I first moved to the area, I was given advice by 2 local business
consultants that I should “give the people what they want”. How sad, dull & unfulfilling it was going
to be for me to give people “more of the same”.
Needless to say, this advice only encouraged me. I was going to do whatever it took to get folks
to try “new” things. It’s been a
struggle, but I think we’re getting there!
If anything has stayed the
same … I still believe where there’s a will, there’s a way.
ST: Your favorite pastry or baked good to eat is:
WKS: Not fair Heather! That’s like asking a parent “which of your
children do you love most?” ;-)
My favorite desserts are:
-tarte tatin (warm w/fromage
blanc)
-chocolate pots de crème -sour cherry pie
-anything with dulce de leche
-green tea ice cream
ST: Do you still teach classes for the home baker? What is rewarding for you about sharing your
experience with others?
WKS: Scheduling more
opportunities to teach the home baker, as well as the pastry chef who’d like to
expand their decorating skills, is an on-going effort. If we’re talking “plans”, this has been on my
to-do list for the last few years. I
look forward to spending more time teaching and writing books that will inspire. As in modeling, I realize there will come a
time when I won’t physically be able to do this craft. My Aunt Evelyn (now 92), to this day is still
a great sounding board, and inspiration for me in terms of how to mature in a
career. I hope to channel her grace and love for the craft into
inspiring/guiding others.
ST: I talk about my “satisfaction meter” with regard to what I’ve made
in the kitchen. On a scale of 1-5, where
is yours today?
WKS: This is a toughy… if you’d
asked me this 9 yrs ago, I’d say “5”.
Now, I’d say I’m at a “3” or
“3.5”, mainly because I’m not yet where I want to be. This career is not for the
faint-of-heart…especially in these recent, difficult economic times. Moving my craft from my little apartment in
thriving NYC to a commercial space, w/staff, in a depressed, small town in Ohio
came with its set-backs. In addition to
this, as I may have shared with you when we first met, one of my goals in returning
to the area is to be a part of something “larger”. My town, like many small towns in the Midwest
is in dire need of revitalization. By
bringing my small/artisanal business to the area, I’ve seen more artisanal
businesses open, and some building owners are now taking the initiative to
fix-up their properties. The more this
happens, the quicker my satisfaction meter will register a 5.
I will say, this though, every
day I unlock the doors at Wendy Kromer Confections/WK Café I feel exhilarated.
This was a fantastic interview, Wendy! Thank you a baker's dozen times over for entertaining us and giving us a look inside! We also owe Wendy a round of applause for her giveaway....
CONTEST CLOSED. Winner will be notified on May 30th, 2012. Thank you for entering.
