CAKE BOSS PROTÉGÉ

by Danna Shirley

Emma has always liked to watch cooking shows and when she discovered Cake Boss, she was in seventh heaven. Buddy, from Carlo’s Bake Shop in Hoboken, NJ was on her regular diet of television watching.   

When she was ten, she asked for a pink Kitchen Aid mixer! Now Kitchen Aid’s cost about $300 so her parents suggested that if she would save her money and pay half, they would pay the rest. It wasn’t long before a pink appliance was sitting on the kitchen counter.

Emma and family took a vacation in 2015 to NY and other parts northeast. Dad arranged for her to visit Carlo's Bake Shop and sit in on a cake decorating class.                                                →    Here she is posed with Buddy's brother-in-law, Mauro.       

Emma loved her mixer and made a few recipes along the way, especially the family’s famous Griswood cake, but with each new year in school, her studies and sports took up most of her time. 

At the beginning of eighth grade, her teacher asked everyone to tell what they wanted to accomplish by the end of the school year. Emma wanted to bake and decorate a "professional" cake, like the Cake Boss.  

When April arrived and there was only a month left of school, Emma began her project. In the process, the kitchen counter was piled high with all of her cooking utensils, cake crumbs, and icing. Finally, at ten-thirty that night, the challenge was complete; however, Mom had to sweep and mop the kitchen floor before going to bed.

Emma has her head thrown back and is laughing the hardest. "It's not as easy as it looks on Cake Boss!"  

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The cake was taken to school the next morning in a laundry basket. I'm so proud of Emma for not being embarrassed or frustrated with the results. She laughed at herself right along with everyone else, which is a wonderful character trait! Everyone had a piece of cake and all said it was delicious. 😊