Happy Birthday, Rick!

It was one week ago today that Rick and I were in Orlando, Florida, getting ready to meet our families for dinner at Portobello Restaurant in Downtown Disney. We had originally planned for the night to be a family reunion, a chance for members from both of our families who live all over the country, to catch up with each other. Then it turned into something more. I thought about the fact that August 26th was Rick's birthday and this would be the perfect opportunity for all of us to celebrate his birthday together. I asked everyone to keep it a secret and set out to find a cake artist to make a very special cake for my sweetie.

I have been blessed for nearly a decade to have an amazing custom cake made by Rick on my birthday, but he has never had a special cake made for him. Over the years we have ordered ice cream cakes, which he loves, or special desserts where we are dining, but never a custom made cake. I always knew one of these years I would contact a cake designer to make Rick a cake, I just didn't know who or where it would be.

Eric Woller of Sweet Designs Kitchen immediately came to mind. Eric and his wife Patty recently opened Sweet Designs Kitchen in Orlando. Eric and I have never met but I was familiar with his work on TLC's Ultimate Cake Off, and noticed the guy can sculpt! I knew I wanted Rick to have a sculpted cake and had a couple of ideas that I presented to Eric. Little did I know what kind of reaction I was going to get when I contacted Eric. The man was excited, no, ecstatic, about the prospect of making a cake for Rick. He said he has great admiration for Rick's work and would be honored to make his birthday cake. I knew right away that between Eric's abilities, his kindness and his desire to make Rick's birthday cake, that it was indeed, the perfect match! I told Eric that I wanted a sculpted plate of carne asada tacos with chips and salsa and a bottle of Pacifico. This is one of Rick's favorite meals and he has tried, with no success, to find carne asada tacos as good as what we remember in L.A. and cannot find them here anywhere. We've tried nearly every Mexican restaurant/taqueria on Oahu and they just don't compare. Ironically, in order for Rick to enjoy a good plate of carne asada tacos like we had in L.A., we would have to go to Orlando to get them!


cake by Eric Woller, Sweet Designs Kitchen. Photo courtesy of Eric Woller

Rick and I, our families and the staff and diners at Portobello restaurant were blown away when Eric and Patty walked in with the cake! Rick had no idea we were celebrating his birthday or that he was getting a cake, much less a cake as fabulous as the carne asada tacos plate! The level of detail was incredible and Rick was speechless when he saw it. The funny thing was I couldn't tell who was more excited, Rick, in receiving the cake, or Eric presenting it to Rick, and that made the moment even more magical, knowing how happy this cake made them both. After the cake was presented, Rick and I were thrilled to meet Eric and Patty, and everyone was grinning from ear to ear. It was a night we will never forget! BIG thanks to our new friends Eric and Patty for making the cake. We can't think of a better, more "Magical" way for us to meet than at Disney with Rick's birthday cake!

Mahalo to the Reicharts' for sending us the photos from this very special night!


Eric presenting Rick with his carne asada tacos cake


Two new friends bonding with their "shakas". photo above courtesy of Eric Woller


another view of the fabulous cake!