Food Articles & Product Announcements

WILTON NAMES CHICAGO WOMAN CAKE DECORATING CHAMP!

Winner Selected from more than 2,000 Entries in Wilton's "Your Take on Cake" Decorating Contest

WOODRIDGE, IL - November, 2005 — Choosing this year's grand prize winner was the most difficult decision yet in the six years Wilton has sponsored decorating contests. But after sifting through more than 2,000 amazing cake entries, Grace Koizumi of Chicago, IL was crowned decorating diva in Wilton's 2nd annual "Your Take on Cake" contest with her exquisite "Happy Chinese New Year" cake.

Grace's "Happy Chinese New Year" cake celebrates the year of the Rooster and displays many of the trimmings of a traditional celebration. A bamboo steamer basket looks far from edible, but was created with rolled fondant in various shades of brown to achieve a wood grain effect. Inside the basket are "steamed buns" which are really round cupcakes covered in fondant with attached gum paste designs painted with pearl dust to resemble the decorative enamel jewelry cloisonné found on elaborate vases and jewelry boxes made in Asia.

The basket was placed on a cake plate covered in dark teal fondant adorned with gum paste flowers. The entire arrangement is accented with flowers and lai see (traditional red envelopes filled with coins given to children at the New Year) made of gum paste. Grace finished her design with a molded 'lucky' bamboo also created from gum paste and placed the cake on a red table cloth - red is the Chinese color of good luck!

Grace works as a graphic designer by day and feels designing and decorating cakes is another way for her to create art. "I especially enjoy the hands-on aspect of cake decorating," she says. "It is a great escape after so many hours on a computer."

The Chinese Year 4703, which began February 9, 2005, is proving to be a good one for Grace. As grand prize winner, she will receive a $5,000 cash prize and a trip to attend the internationally-renowned, two-week Masters Course at The Wilton School of Cake Decorating and Confectionery Arts in Darien, IL (a Chicago suburb).

"This year's entrants blew the judges away. We saw a 50 percent increase in entries in 2005 and there were just so many spectacular cake concepts - it was truly a challenge to narrow down the field," said Nancy Siler, vice president of consumer affairs and director of the Wilton School. "Grace's cake is really phenomenal! We were very impressed with her creativity and skill; we can not wait to see what she will come up with after two weeks of training with some of our top instructors."

Winners for All Occasions

Amateur cake decorators from across the U.S. and Canada submitted cakes for all occasions. Entries ranged from elegant and sophisticated to wild and fun, but they all represented the creativity, skill and personal touches that make cake decorating a time-honored tradition. Entries were judged on creativity, use of materials and technique, and winners were selected in five categories: kid birthdays, adult birthdays, weddings, baby/wedding showers and other occasions. Photos of all the winning entries can be downloaded at www.yourtakeoncake.wilton.com or www.wilton.com.

Winners and runners-up in each category will receive $100 and $50 in assorted Wilton products, respectively. 2005 is the first year the "Your Take on Cake" contest is awarding honorable mentions; the 20 honorable mention winners will receive $25 in Wilton products. A complete list of 2005 "Your Take on Cake" contest winners is below.

About the Sponsor
Wilton Enterprises, headquartered in Woodridge, IL, has been a leader in cake decorating since 1929. Today, the company is also the market leader in cake, candy, cookie, wedding, bakeware and home celebration products. From the hottest licensed characters to specially shaped holiday products, Wilton offers cake pans, cookie cutters, baking cups and traditional pastry decorating tools.

For the latest information on Wilton products, decorating ideas and course listings, visit Wilton online at www.wilton.com. To locate the closest Wilton Method Cake Decorating classes, call 800-942-8881. For contest information and photos, go to www.yourtakeoncake.wilton.com or call Chris Burger at 312-240-3334 or christina.burger@edelman.com.