Over 1300 cake decorators attended ICES like me. However there's a huge amount of others that attend as demonstrators, vendors and helpers.
Before I left NZ, I had mentioned to Kerry Vincent I was coming, she said "Make sure you come and see me" We spent a long time chatting one evening and Kerry introduced me to some wonderful people. (for those of you that don't know Kerry is Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show director Kerry Vincent nee Flynn is a Hall of Fame Sugar Artist, Food Network Challenge Judge, designer, international presenter, author of the best selling Romantic Wedding Cakes, and a freelance writer)
Susan Carberry was doing some wonderful things with airbrushing in the vendor hall and her cookie critters were amazing. You'll often see wonderful online videos from Susan with all sorts of great cakes.
I asked Norm Davis if I could take his photo. He said "Oh No! you've got to be in it too". I've enjoyed watching Norm in the past on the "Ultimate Cake Off" Tv Show. He always seems so happy
Carrie Middlemiss and I have been friends for years now. here at Kiwicakes we sell her Bella Cupcake Couture cupcake wrappers. We managed to catch breakfast together on Sunday morning at ICES - and she made me pose for photos with her on multiple occasions. Carries cupcake wrappers are gorgeous. She has even done custom wrappers for Martha Stewart, I remember how excited we both were all those years ago when she got the call (see here for her Martha Wrappers)
This is on Sunday afternoon, I had to wait a few days to get some shots of the vendor hall, it was packed out the first few days.
Yummy chocolate by Guittard
I also Met Edna De La Cruz. If you've never seen Edna's youtube videos, go look them up right now. They are super useful and wonderfully presented (she also has a super dreamy voice you'll love)
So many cake stands the likes of which we don't often see in NZ
Rita Aust and Michelle Hester from Sugarveil
Nicholas Lodge - a superb sugar flower sculptor from the UK
Stephen Bennison from the UK. Very well know for his intricate cutters, for Art Deco cakes and flourishes, flowers & much more
From Stephen Bennison
Satin Ice
This is the gorgeous Autumn Carpenter. Autumn and I have corresponded by email for years. Here at Kiwicakes we sell her cookie cutters with impression mats, impression mats, cupcake impression mats, books & more. Autumn and I met up the second night I was there, and had a long chat. She also did a presentation to the "shop owners breakfast", which I throughly enjoyed. I already love her products, but after her demo I am more in love with her cupcake impression mats, than ever before.
In front cookies & cupcakes using the cupcake impression mat tops. At rear cookies using the sports ball cookie set
Cookies using her butterfly cookie cutter set with impression mat
Cookie using her dress, wedding cake & heart cookie cutter sets
The bags are made using the fabric impression mat set
Flower fun impression mat & moulds
Paisley impression mat & moulds
There were several companies for edible imaging
Wilton USA
I really liked this dummy cake on Wilton's stand
Quilling from Wilton
The cupcake cake, uses one of Wilton's new release silicone moulds
Elegant beauty - I wonder how hard this is to do?
The topper is made using white chocolate in the Wilton enchanted castle cake pan
I met a lovely lady named Reva Alexander-Hawk (above) at the shop owners breakfast one morning. What I didn't know is Reva is the star of "Amazing wedding cakes" TV show, as we don't get the show here in NZ yet. Reva became my instant best friend, because, as we were standing in line at the buffet I pointed to a pastry absolutely covered in pecans telling her I was going to have one. I went on to explain how pricey pecans are in NZ ($70KG last time I bought them) and how you'd never see that on a breakfast buffet here. "Look!" Reva said "there's a huge pile of pecans that's fallen off a pastry you grab that - no one will notice". So you know what I DID! - there was no pastry missing any nuts, so that big ole pile of caramelly pecans must have been sitting waiting for me. Seems no one else was as impressed as I was. Spot the odd New Zealander out. Reva told me she'd just bought a case of pecans for her bakery and she'd thought it expensive the price she'd had to pay, but it was nothing like what we have to pay. And I must say there quality of nut is better than what we often get.
Reva was demonstrating this Day of the Dead cake at ICES. When I booked my ICES demo's and classes, this particular class clashed with something else I was doing. I really wish I had gone to it. However late Sunday night, during the "night of sharing" I was able to see the cake and Reva chatted informally to those milling around about how she did it.
I really did meet Reva I've got the badge to prove it.
These gelatine flowers were stunning up close. These were made by the lovely lady behind sugar dippers gelatine & isomalt veinging sheets, which I sell at Kiwicakes. Watching her work in the vendor hall was amazing.
A trend that has not really reached NZ yet, that I picked up on, with some vendors, was using edible image sheets to make flowers & decorations
Here Chef Zane on the Lucks stand is making a floral decorative motif, using an edible image attached to blue fondant.
I think the finished product looks pretty snazzy and is reminiscent of fabric flowers.
Yet more cakes from Lucks
The vendors hall at ICES was a real highlight for me - the options for new products were endless, some products have been ordered and I've yet more planned, so you'll see many things arriving over the coming months, all as a result of my trip to ICES.
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