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finals. It features rich lemon layers, cream cheese icing, fresh<br />
strawberries and lemon curd. It’s serious. I figured if Buddy<br />
loved it, Rachael and Nate would too.<br />
I was also going to make Nate a surprise treat, and tell him<br />
it could be used for his wedding favors. I knew he loved Rice<br />
Krispies Treats®, and I was going to do a bacon-inspired one.<br />
Unfortunately, as it happens with TV projects, I just ran out<br />
of time.<br />
Although my surprise for Nate did not work out,<br />
my competitors and I were handed a surprise of our<br />
own when we got to the show. We found out that in<br />
addition to Rachael and Nate judging our work, it<br />
would also be judged by acclaimed pasty chef Gale<br />
Gand and Mr. Chocolate himself, Jacques Torres.<br />
Jacques Torres has been around forever (in a good<br />
way!). He is extremely talented and very critical on<br />
good cake and bad cake. It was pretty cool to put<br />
my cake before such a tough judge.<br />
I held my breath as all four judges tasted my cake.<br />
One by one, they gave it great reviews. Jacques<br />
commented that after a wedding and a big meal,<br />
a cake like mine was a good idea because of<br />
the acidity of the lemon and fresh strawberries,<br />
combined with the creaminess of the cake. He<br />
said it was the perfect “grand finale” after the<br />
meal.<br />
The audience also sampled and weighed in<br />
on our cakes. It was a close race. When Nate<br />
polled them, there was a group for each of us.<br />
This let you know everyone was baking from<br />
the heart. Kate had her signature vanilla<br />
bean buttercream and mango buttercream<br />
cake with the sugar crust. Michelle’s cake<br />
had a wonderful cassis buttercream. There<br />
were three totally different ideas, all baked<br />
beautifully.<br />
Dana Herbert, owner of Desserts by Dana, resides<br />
in Bear, Delaware. His client list has included Oprah<br />
Winfrey and Jill Biden. He has appeared on many<br />
television shows, including multiple episodes of<br />
Cake Boss following his win on TLC’s Cake Boss:<br />
Next Great Baker. Dana and his recipes also have<br />
been featured in publications including Celebrity<br />
Cooking, Essence, Fitness Magazine, Catering<br />
Magazine, Huffington Post and dozens more. In<br />
2013, he was named one of the Top Ten Cake<br />
Artists by Dessert Professional Magazine. He<br />
also has authored his own book, The Sweet and<br />
Savory Union.<br />
Currently, Dana is teaming up with celebrity<br />
chefs and bakers from around the country to<br />
construct a world record-breaking, 20-foot<br />
high, 20,000-pound, pink wedding<br />
cake at Caesars Palace in Las<br />
Vegas. The attempt to break the<br />
record will raise funds for Susan<br />
G. Komen for the Cure,<br />
Southern Nevada Affiliate.<br />
I was grateful Nate selected my<br />
cake as the winner. He even said<br />
that if “the cake thing” didn’t<br />
work out, I could go to work for<br />
him as a designer. Now THAT<br />
was a compliment!<br />
24 www.EdibleArtistsNetwork.com
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