Charm City Cakes - All Grown Up!

Stephanie and Mary Alice surrounded by a few cakes
from the bakery's "Summer Collection"

Post cameras and a reality TV whirlwind, Baltimore's own Charm City Cakes has a brand new website in the works (so exciting!), a fresh coat of the most gorgeous pale blue paint (covering the walls of their Remington Avenue location), and a decidedly more sophisticated take on cakes for 2012.  We had the pleasure of sitting down with Mary Alice Yeskey (the companies marketing director) last week to discuss the direction of the business, as well as their recently unveiled "Summer Collection."  Check out our one-on-one interview and peek at a few of our favorite cakes from their beautiful new line. Brides especially, you are in for a
delicious treat!

SB:  Who do you think your target market is today?

Mary Alice:  I would say we are targeting brides, but I'm not dismissing anything else.  A lot of people were saying to us, "We didn't realize you guys were still doing cakes in Baltimore..." so Facebook, Twitter, all that stuff happened in the last two years.  During the show (Ace of Cakes) all of that stuff kind of got pushed to the side.

SB:  How does it work when a client calls in?

Mary Alice:  The nice thing is for the first time when you call you get a human being.  I think that's a basic thing that not every company knows is so important.  We then do a meeting here on a Tuesday or Wednesday.  This is because our chef bakes samples on Mondays and Tuesdays, so it helps our natural kitchen flow.  At our staff meetings on Monday mornings, we decide who's appropriate to meet with each person.  There is a $50 tasting fee which will go towards your cake if you choose to work with us.  This mostly helps us weed out no-shows.  The decorators and myself spend a good deal of time prepping and printing out inspiration photos so when we sit down you know we've been thinking of you.  It's so nice when the client can feel you really want to be there.  That way when they come in the client is excited!

SB:  We love the new paint color in the bakery... Tell us about the change.

Mary Alice:  It used to be green and blue, which it actually wound up being again, but it's so much softer now.  The old colors made the show look awesome, but we've been done with that for a year and a half.

SB:  Many of your decorators don't have baking backgrounds.  How does this affect the process?

Mary Alice:  I think the big difference with us is that our decorators aren't trained pastry chefs, they're trained artists.  I think this means they take the skills they already have and just apply them to a different medium.  For example Mary Smith is incredible at line work, so you take that and translate it into the frosting.  Obviously structure is also very important.

SB:  What do you think are some upcoming trends in wedding cakes?

Mary Alice:  In terms of color palettes, corals and grays are big and gold is coming way back for the first time in awhile.  In terms of overall design, people are really moving towards cake as a canvas and using it as a way to extend the overall theme of the event.  People also want something much more pared down, clean and simple.  Big for the sake of big is totally out.  Most people don't live that way and they want their cakes to reflect that.

SB:  What's next for Charm City Cakes?

Mary Alice:  Our designs are growing up, our style is growing up, yes we can still do Star Wars cakes, but we want people to know that we can be trendsetting.  I don't want to go looking for cake designs anymore, I want people to be looking to us.  We should be making the fashion.

SB:  You're very loyal to Baltimore, what do you think makes it such a great place to create?

Mary Alice:  I think we're all incredibly loyal to our city because it doesn't take itself too seriously.  For me personally, it's a manageable sized city.  You go out to get groceries and you're pretty much guaranteed to see someone you know.  You can really nurture relationships here over time.  We're all kind of moving and growing together, especially in the events industry...We all have each others back.

This stunner, created by designer Mary Smith, took inspiration from a cake she previously created for the
Baltimore Bride Magazine Spring/Summer 2012 photo shoot earlier this year.
Peek here and here for more on our creative collaboration!

SB:  What is Duff's role now that you have a Charm City Cakes West location in L.A.?

Mary Alice:  His job is sort of to be the face of the company and he's got so many products.  He just kind of runs around like crazy.

SB:  With the success of Charm City Cakes West, do you have any plans for future expansions?

Mary Alice:  With Duff I've learned to just never say never!

And there you have it!  A BIG thank you to Mary Alice for taking the time to chat with me (and our intern Katie from Loyola College), Duff Goldman and the entire team at Charm City Cakes for hosting such an amazing preview party last week.  We love the new line, the refreshed bakery workspace, and are already looking forward to what comes next...

Cheers your continued success here in Baltimore and beyond!

xSB and Team

Baltimore BRIDE - Eye Candy & CAKE!

 

                            Images by Stacy Zarin

For the past several years, we have partnered with the creative team at Baltimore Bride magazine to create delicious tablescapes and this year was certainly no exception.  Our design challenge...to create a tabletop display good enough to eat and with the help of our partners at Charm City Cakes that was not a difficult task.  The inspiration for this design started here with this color palette--bright tangerine ("Tangerine Tango" being the Pantone Color of the Year!), teal and crisp white.  I wanted to work in the ombre trend (which I am still loving) especially in florals, and create a modern gallery feel. So many brides are requesting a fresh twist on traditional design, incorporating plenty of special details for a very personalized event start to finish.  2012 is all about bold colors mixed with softer hues and taking risks to make each celebration one to remember.

I enlisted the help of the team at Fleur de Lis Florist to create (what I refer to as) "my ombre dream."  To have seen these florals in person was breathtaking.  The paper details including the framed sign (above), place cards and menus were crafted by the talented Carla David Design.  

Want to look behind the scenes at pulling all this together?  Peek here.

This is the sketch of the cake BEFORE the making of the masterpiece and we couldn't have been more delighted with the finished design.  We added a little sequin trim to our cake stand and it was just the embellishment we needed to make this cake sing, sing, sing.

Many thanks to each of our talented vendor partners including: 

Charm City Cakes, Carla David Design, Fleur de Lis Florist, Table Toppers, Gore Dean, 

The House Downtown, Macy's, Pier 1 Imports, and the Tremont Plaza Hotel & Grand Historic Venue.

AND DON'T FORGET...to pick up a copy of Baltimore Bride on newsstands now AND mark your calendar for one of two bridal events coming up this winter...Click HERE for tickets and more info!  

All images by Stacy Zarin

Magazine story by Janelle Erlichman Diamond

Sneak Peek - Baltimore BRIDE Photo Shoot

Yesterday was a very busy day at the Tremont Grand Hotel where we were putting the finishing touches on our "modern gallery-esk ombre inspired" (say that one five times fast) tablescape design for Baltimore BRIDE magazine!  In partnership with Cham City Cakes we created one delicious display that felt fresh and modern. We can't show you too much, but thought you'd enjoy just a taste...

Want to see the CAKE? Yes, you do! Then don't forget to pick up the 

Spring/Summer 2012 issue of Baltimore BRIDE on newsstands in January!  

Many thanks to BRIDE's creative team, our photographer Stacy Zarin, and 

ALL of our vendor partners including: 

Charm City Cakes, Carla David Design, Fleur de Lis Florist, 

Gore Dean, The House Downtown, and Table Toppers.

The Friday 5

My mornings seem to begin earlier and earlier, and with last weekend's time change I couldn't be more delighted.  I started the AM today with this happy hot chocolate, and I haven't stopped moving ever since (evidence of this being a Friday PM blog post, ahhh). Moments like this remind me that it is the simple things in life that seem to make me smile these days.

Over my delicious drink, I was busy working on the back end of my new website (set to launch in 3-4 weeks, yay!).  I am giddy with excitement, and there are lots of changes with the design, functionality, and even an interior product line.  You saw our new logo here, and we'll keep you up-to-date 

on our progress with the site as well.  Fingers crossed...

The gorgeous weather also presents the perfect time to celebrate spring and summer fashion, food and yes...CAKE!  I received this invitation in the mail from our friends at Charm City Cakes this week.  Before I could even open the envelope I was swooning over my name penned by this creative lady.  

Sooo pretty.  LOVE.

I also just wrapped up another interior design project, and one of the final details was a custom created succulent planting on the dining table.  After obsessing over these little guys for weeks (as evidence here), I found two gorgeous containers, and mixed in a few different varieties, shapes, colors, and sizes.  I was so pleased with the result and friends, I have to say they were the perfect finishing touch.

AND, one of the biggest highlights of my week was finding this gorgeous painting at a local consignment shop ($140 SCORE...the supplies alone are more than that!).  It was hidden high up on a shelf (covering the store's water heater, if you can imagine), and the colors are truly amazing.  It is not yet on the wall, but know it will be absolutely perfect in my bedroom (white walls, cream and white bedding, and gold accents throughout).  I have been waking up each morning to find another fun shape in its lines (so far a rabbit, upside turtle, four leaf clover, a mushroom, a fish, and the back side of a grasshopper). 

My weekend project (after tomorrow's wedding)...hang.it.up!

Have a good night and enjoy your weekend...

stephanie

Livin' the Dream

We are all about creative parties and of course gorgeous weddings too...

I spent much of the day working on design proposals (a June bride just left the studio), scheduling painters and carpet installers, interviewing the lovely Mary Alice at Charm City Cakes (peek here for quick pic), as well as working on the text for our (soon-to-launch) new website. (I am so excited and scared at the same time!).  I have to say, however...I.am.spent.  Heading home (very soon) for what are sure to be a few more sweet dreams.  What will tomorrow bring?  More of today, I hope.  Have I mentioned I just love my job? 

Until then,

xSB

* Image 1

The Friday 5

"Oh, what a night!"  I would be remiss if I didn't start off this week's Friday 5 with an image from Monday evening's Baltimore NACE UNCORKED! fundraising event.  It was a celebration of the creative, and a testament to teamwork all around.  This was one of my very favorite moments of the evening...a celebratory toast to a job well done designing Table #3 (kudos Danielle and Mary Alice), 

good food and wine, and even better company. 

Busy working on design projects (and some gorgeous weddings too!), it is often hard to find even five minutes to relax and recharge.  I tend to get my stress out in the morning, and my long runs give me the space and time to clear my mind, and mentally prepare for the day ahead.  This week, I stumbled upon this quiet spot on the path of a new route I have been taking.  This tree literally stopped me in my tracks, and I returned hours later to snap a picture.  Who wouldn't enjoy a few moments here...daydreaming...

Back in the studio with a few members of my design army, Nikki (left) and Katie (right).  

I feel so blessed to have not one but two really great young ladies interning for me this semester, and this week we got.the.job.done.  Thanks, ladies!

After a full day in the studio (yesterday), I took the girls to the Charm City Cakes "Summer Collection" reveal at their bakery downtown.  The event was great fun, the cake decorating so creative, and the new cake flavors (the carrot cake especially) extra delish.  Next week, we have a one-on-one interview with Mary Alice that we will share on the blog shortly thereafter.  

Our new motto:  More cake (and of course cupcakes too) = more happiness!

I also had the chance to "play" a little this week.  I was busy selecting swatches for my next piece of wall art, and the palette is so soft and romantic.  It is a custom piece (for a very special friend) to be the focal point of her living room.  Soon these pieces will be available on our new website 

(another project that is quickly coming along), and we can't wait to share it with you.  

Just four weeks and counting...I can hardly wait!

Happy Friday!

stephanie

Baltimore BRIDE Spring/Summer 2012 - Concept to Reality

Last week I posted this with a peek inside the Spring/Summer 2012 issue of Baltimore Bride.  I am often asked, "How do you come up with a concept for an event or an interior?" or "Where do you find inspiration?" For that reason, I thought I would post the storyboard my team and I created to share with our vendor partners prior to the shoot.  This was the jumping off point for our discussions regarding the tablescape color palette as well as the overall look I was trying to create...a clean, modern gallery feel with layers of detail and florals that would stop you in your tracks. 

So much time and energy goes into a project like this. There are countless creative meetings and oodles of tiny details prepping for our onsite partnership with magazine editors and photographers alike. For this particular shoot, I got the crazy idea to hand paint a large piece of art (my first original piece by the way painted on drywall).  Inspired by Wearstler's wallpaper, I knew the marble backdrop at Baltimore's Tremont Plaza Hotel was going to need a pop of color to create the WOW factor I was looking for.  That being said, I headed to the hardware store for supplies and used Valspar's "Peach Kiss" (2002-2C) for the base color to give a little contrast to our crisp white linen.  I then went to town with large brush strokes of intense color with Valspar's "Autumn Gala" (2004-1A) to create movement.  One of my interns assisted (in the back parking lot of my design studio) with the final touches of gold glitter. The pavement still sparkles in the sunlight and always makes me smile...

* Image by Stacy Zarin

Many thanks again to each of our talented vendor partners including: 

Charm City Cakes, Carla David Design, Fleur de Lis Florist, Table Toppers, Gore Dean, 

The House Downtown, Macy's, Pier 1 Imports, and the Tremont Plaza Hotel.

Color Splash

After a weekend full of trips to the fabric store (purchased three yards of gorgeous cream Chanel), DIY projects, and dinner with friends, we are back in the studio prepping for the week ahead.  Last week we began pulling our design concepts together for an upcoming bridal shoot for Baltimore BRIDE magazine and this week we will be adding a few more detailed layers.  We have also been swooning over Dean + Quinn's Spring 2012 Collection, think his silhouettes are gorgeous, and decided to use this color palette as the starting point of our gorgeous tablescape design.  We can't give away too many details just yet, but the shoot is in partnership with our friends at Charm City Cakes (yes, they are super cool AND have a new location on the West Coast!)...But let's just say this dreamy tablescape will certainly be good enough to eat!

Fashion for the Home - The cool turquoise paired with bright orange, crisp white and a touch of black feels tropical, fresh and modern.  Translating this bold color combo into the home would be absolutely divine.  Hand me a paint brush, please!