Mr. July 2010 and his "Cakes for a Cure Calendar" Cake

All cake images courtesy of Stephen Ludwig Photography

Today's blog and cake is dedicated to my Aunt Anita Reyes, a cancer survivor.

July is so close we can practically taste it! With a full calendar and an intense holiday weekend approaching, July is sure to a be memorable month. It will also be a special month as it's the first month in the American Cancer Society "Cakes for a Cure" 18 Month calendar. We posted about the calendar back in April when it was released. If you haven't ordered one yet, this beautiful calendar is filled with cakes by well-known cake artists in both the United States and Canada and $7.50 of the $20.00 price will be donated to the American Cancer Society. A list of the names of the cake artists invited to design for the calendar can be found at the bottom of this page. We were honored to be included in the list! You can visit the American Cancer Society Relay for Life, Greenwood, South Carolina chapter and click on "Cake Challenge Fundraiser" to place an order. We ordered a handful of them for our family members and ourselves and have one proudly displayed in our studio.

In a little over a week we will be flipping open the calendar for July 2010, which also happens to be Rick's month! Shortly after we returned from Rick's Food Network Challenge competition, he started designing the cake for the calendar. As with every cake designer featured in the calendar, he was asked to design a cake around the theme "With a Song in My Heart", and the song he selected was a gorgeous little number by Hawaii's own Israel Kamakawiwo'ole who sings a hauntingly beautiful version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". The song is essentially about Hawaii's natural beauty. Rick chose to cover his cake with handpainted stylized scenes of land, sea and sky.

Photographer Stephen Ludwig came to our studio to shoot Rick working on his cake and a selection of images was sent to the organizers of the "Cakes for a Cure" fundraiser. We chose to dedicate Rick's cake to Anita Reyes, who is my aunt and also a cancer survivor. She recently received a copy of the calendar and was very touched that we would design a cake in her honor.
We'd like to encourage any cake enthusiast looking for a special gift to consider making a donation to the American Cancer Society by ordering a calendar or two or three. We are honored to have had the opportunity to donate our time and cake design for such a worthwhile cause. Special thanks to Patti Gagstetter at Relay for Life for organizing the event and Stephen Ludwig Photography for the stunning images. He did an amazing job!








calendar image by cakelava



Aloha, 'til next time!

"Cakes for a Cure" Fundraiser Calendar

Wow! We just got a glimpse of the 18 Month calendar that is being released starting Saturday, April 24th at the "Cakes for a Cure" fundraiser in Greenwood, South Carolina. "Cakes for a Cure" a huge fundraiser to benefit the American Cancer Society, will have something for every cake enthusiast -- Demonstrations by Norm Davis, Ashley Vicos, Zane Beg and Christine Schnee, to name just a few, a live cake Challenge, cake contest, cake and ice cream to enjoy, and gifts to purchase including "Cakes for a Cure" t-shirts, aprons and calendars. We are thrilled to be part of this amazing event! 19 cake artists, including Rick Reichart were asked to design a cake around the theme "With a Song in My Heart", based on a song of their choice. Calendars may be purchased at "Cakes for Cure" on April 24th for $20, or online through the relay for life website, click on "Cake Challenge Fundraiser" starting next week. T-shirts and aprons are already available on the website. For each calendar sold, $7.50 will be donated to the American Cancer Society. We're ordering multiple calendars and can't wait to see all the cakes! It's a must have for any cake enthusiast!

Aloha, 'til next time!

"Cakes for a Cure" Fundraiser on Saturday, April 24th!

Now that our Food Network Challenge has aired and we're able to catch our breath, we are starting to get very excited about a fundraiser we are involved with next Saturday, April 24th, called "Cakes for a Cure" in Greenwood, South Carolina. "Cakes for a Cure", is an all-day cake extravaganza fundraiser to benefit the American Cancer Society. Patti Gagstetter, the Event Co-Chair invited us to participate in the event last Fall and we jumped on the opportunity to contribute to such a worthwhile cause. Being that we are thousands of miles away in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and already had orders to fill, we were unable to attend, but were thrilled that Rick was asked to design a cake for their 18 month calendar of cakes which is being released at the event. We've written about the "Cakes for a Cure" fundraiser previously on the blog, but it's such an exciting opportunity for cake enthusiasts, we wanted to post it again to help get the word out! The fundraiser which will take place at multiple locations throughout Greenwood, South Carolina, will have cake demonstrations by 6 cake designers who have been on Food Network Challenge or TLC's Ultimate Cake Off: Ashley Vicos, Norm Davis, Zane Beg, Dana Herbert, Kathy Scott, and Christine Schnee. There will also be a live Mini-Challenge (3 hours, versus 8) between Kathy Scott, Dana Herbert and Michelle Fountain. We've also been told that 5 local Mayors will compete in a "Cake Decorating for Dummies" Challenge to decorate the best birthday cake!

The fundraiser has been promoted through ICES and American Cake Decorating Magazine, the Greenwood, S.C. Relay for Life Website, various cake forums and through those of us involved in this wonderful cause! Shortly after we returned from filming the "SpongeBob Birthday Cakes" Challenge, Rick started designing his cake for the "Cakes for a Cure" Calendar, and what a beautiful cake it is! The theme we all had to work with was "With a Song in My Heart" and each cake artist was asked to design a cake around the song of our choice. Rick's cake has not been posted on our website or blog and will remain a suprise until the calendar is released next Saturday.

If you are unable to attend "Cakes for a Cure" to purchase your 18 month calendar of cakes, you may order one (or many) directly through the website: www.relayforlife.org/greenwoodsc and click on the "Cake Challenge Fundraiser" tab. The calendar order form has not yet been posted but the t-shirts and aprons have been. Here you will find all the information you need for the 24th. We encourage you to please show your support by attending this amazing event and purchasing the accompanying t-shirts, aprons and calendars. Mother's Day is next month and these would make fabulous gifts!

Aloha!