Ace Of Cakes Really Isn't That Great...
Decorating By Shakti Updated 14 Nov 2008 , 6:46am by Curtsmin24
In what professional, artistic, or culinary field are men the overwhelming majority of the entry-level participants but women the recipients (or takers) of the money and fame far out of their numeric participation in the field, Debi? Or, to put it another way, in what professional, artistic, or culinary field do men of any age cede the spotlight and the money to women, especially middle-aged women? Be specific, please.
(Edited twice for clarity, and I'm still not there yet. You get the idea, though.)
theatrical lighting is just one example
the 1st major book on it -- by a women, Jean Rosenthal
the 1st use of computers to do it -- by a woman, Tharon Mussser for "A Chorus Line" (THANK YOU!!!!!)
one current THE major designer -- a woman, Peggy Eisenhower
and there's all the women in costuming and sets.
two of the most famous computer programmers -- Ada Lovelace who wrote the FIRST ever program and Grace Hopper who did so much for computers!
and while everyone is griping....note who many FoodTV shows are helmed by women -- about an equal # if not slightly more than by men -- tho' so funny to watch all the women get so catty about the FoodTV women's shows (Paula, Giadia, Sarah, etc.) hmmm...can't see to give them their props -- just want to tear them down.
and ditto for HGTV -- note how many are hosted/built around women
get sooo tired of all the whining.
stop it. and get out there and DO your own show.
Look at Aine2 and SugarShack --
it's a new age folks!
VIRAL media is where it's at -- you can be your own show and be seen all over the world.
YouTube here you come.
Doug, just a side note. I'm so sick of everyone bashing COBOL, I love the language, simple and easy and still darn powerful. 'C++' and java couldn't come close to handling all that data!!!
I believe Grace was also credited with finding the first computer 'bug'.
As for the VIRAL media, think they could of come up with a better name?
Sorry for the sidebar.
Doug, just a side note. I'm so sick of everyone bashing COBOL, I love the language, simple and easy and still darn powerful. 'C++' and java couldn't come close to handling all that data!!!
I believe Grace was also credited with finding the first computer 'bug'.
As for the VIRAL media, think they could of come up with a better name?
Sorry for the sidebar.
OMGOSH!!!! YOU KNOW! YIPEE! How few know she was the lead on the project to create COBOL.
and yes, dear Grace gave us "bug" after she opened up ENIAC and found it had stopped working because a moth had gotten stuck inside a relay. She dutifully removed it, taped it in the log book with notation computer had stopped working because of a bug. It stuck!
viral very apt for the way it spreads and can "infect" systems and people (in from of addiction to watching! or making)
--well that's enough geekiness for today! --
In what professional, artistic, or culinary field are men the overwhelming majority of the entry-level participants but women the recipients (or takers) of the money and fame far out of their numeric participation in the field, Debi? Or, to put it another way, in what professional, artistic, or culinary field do men of any age cede the spotlight and the money to women, especially middle-aged women? Be specific, please.
(Edited twice for clarity, and I'm still not there yet. You get the idea, though.)
theatrical lighting is just one example
the 1st major book on it -- by a women, Jean Rosenthal
the 1st use of computers to do it -- by a woman, Tharon Mussser for "A Chorus Line" (THANK YOU!!!!!)
one current THE major designer -- a woman, Peggy Eisenhower
and there's all the women in costuming and sets.
two of the most famous computer programmers -- Ada Lovelace who wrote the FIRST ever program and Grace Hopper who did so much for computers!
and while everyone is griping....note who many FoodTV shows are helmed by women -- about an equal # if not slightly more than by men -- tho' so funny to watch all the women get so catty about the FoodTV women's shows (Paula, Giadia, Sarah, etc.) hmmm...can't see to give them their props -- just want to tear them down.
and ditto for HGTV -- note how many are hosted/built around women
get sooo tired of all the whining.
stop it. and get out there and DO your own show.
Look at Aine2 and SugarShack --
it's a new age folks!
VIRAL media is where it's at -- you can be your own show and be seen all over the world.
YouTube here you come.
The real whiner is the person that started this.. Not sure what she expected to accomplish !
OMG!... You mean I am not the only caker that knows COBOL. Doing it as I type. 
Heck yeah we would be applauding a woman who was spotlighted in a predominantly 'male' field because, in my experience, woman often have to work twice as hard for half the recognition......do I want to start a pissing match about men vs. women? No. For me, itâs simply the way it is. To argue that sexism doesnât exist is a joke. As for anyone âwhiningâ about it, I donât think that acknowledging something is the same as whining, but thatâs just me.
I personally love Duff and the show and all his staff. His cakes aren't perfect and it doesn't matter. TV is about entertainment, not talent. Competitions are about talent. The ones who win all the Food Network Challenges are not the ones who can necessarily carry a program.
I checked out the OP link to Debbiedoescake and they were incredible â no doubt about that. But to say she should get a show doesnât make sense since we all know there are hundreds of thousands of talented people out there and only a handful are on the air.
Duff has managed to turn cake decorating into rock star statusâ¦..itâs pretty funny if you think about it. I always thought of doing cakes as more of a womanâs activity whereas pastry chefs are very often men. Perhaps the execs at Food Network realized in order to get regular non-cake people to watch a cake decorating show, they were going to have to shake things up a bitâ¦..a rough and tumble guy with a goatee who works more with machinery then mixers. And it worked.
I am not sure a woman doing the show would have garnered the same attention, for whatever reason. But Duff has brought our shared love for this art to a more noticeable level. For that I am thankful.
And while weâre on the subject, when did being a chef/cook/baker become so cool? Donât get me wrong, I love it but I remember back in the day when cookinâ was not given too much consideration and now itâs a huge attraction. I think Food Network and all their wacky food stars and shows created a whole subcultureâ¦â¦which I enjoy very much.
It's a good thing that every other show in the world is about the absolute best in the world. (can everyone see my eyes rolling?)
I mean... obviously there are no better judges of talent in the world than Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell, and Randy Jackson... right?
Obviously the Tom Colicchio is the best chef in the world, because he judges Top Chef, and you sure couldn't have a really really good chef judging the Top Chef? right?
See the point?
As Doug said... it's about entertainment.
If you don't like it, don't watch it. I will and so will most others, because to me it's just damn good TV.
Just another reminder ACE OF CAKES will be taping shows on August 15-16th at a food expo in Anaheim CA. Visit the website www.abfevents.com
ACK!! I had NO idea! I want to go sooo bad, it looks like so much fun! I know my husband won't go for it, but maybe a little begging...
Good luck!! Ive been trying to talk my hubby into taking me and he told me he wont because he doesnt want to see me stalking Duff LOL i told him HES GUNNA take me so Im crossing my fingers
Why does he have a tv show? Because he and his staff are amusing and that makes good tv. That's what television producers are interested in, not in the quality of the cakes. Not that his cakes are bad at all, they're all pretty cool and I enjoy watching the show to see what they're making.
On another note, I had a client who knew the person who bought the "horns of rock" (?) cake with the hand coming out of the cake, and she said that it tasted really good, too. I'd always wondered about that part of it, but she said it was good.
I have to add that one thing I really like about the show is seeing how much credit Duff gives to his staff for their work. One thing that really cheeses me off is some of these food network-type people (One "domestic Diva" whose name begins with M and ends with artha comes to mind) who never give credit to anyone else. Duff comes across as a really nice guy who respects his friends/employees and their abilities. Even though I've heard people complain about him doing the deliveries and taking the credit for someone else's cake, they all seem to do deliveries when necessary, and he IS the front man, so what the heck...If he's willing to go on camera and talk about how great this person is at this and how talented that person is at that, I give him a lot of credit.
I love the show. It's one of the only shows that my DH and I watch together....and to be honest, Duff's laugh gets on my nerves.
But when he DOES do the decorating, he does a great job and he knows how to delegate tasks to who is best suited for the job.
We love Geof's sense of humor and we love to watch Sherry work. And Mary Smith is some kind of piping goddess in my book. A steady hand and infinite patience.
P.S. I just love Mary Alice.
P.P.S. And the episode with the BEAVER cake got more than a few chuckles at our house.
There was an episode on earlier today and Duff wore a kilt to get him in the scottish mood to make a cow for a wedding, he even brought in a bagpiper. That was hilarious and yes, it is entertainment!! They even had the fondant fall off the cow! So accidents do happen....
What else I love about the show? I love watching the reactions of his customers! He's got a great staff, a great mind, plus he's talented. He's not perfect either, but is anybody???
I get a kick out of Mary Alice and Geoff (or is it Jeff?)
Haven't had time to read through this entire thread, but I just have to add that I appreciate Ace of Cakes being on TV. I wish a lot more of the public would watch, so they could get an idea of how much work is involved in decorating cakes. It seems as though Duff has staff that consists of bakers, frosters, cleaners, & decorators. It makes the job of a loan decorator more impressive. Some of the decorators are better at specific areas. There have been cakes that I've thought that the figure work was lacking, but a lot of the cakes are pretty great. I think that a lot of the show's success comes from the personalities. If they can get a minimum of $1000 per cake, more power to them. I watch the show to try to learn new techniques & get ideas.
Doug, just a side note. I'm so sick of everyone bashing COBOL, I love the language, simple and easy and still darn powerful. 'C++' and java couldn't come close to handling all that data!!!
I believe Grace was also credited with finding the first computer 'bug'.
As for the VIRAL media, think they could of come up with a better name?
Sorry for the sidebar.
OMGOSH!!!! YOU KNOW! YIPEE! How few know she was the lead on the project to create COBOL.
and yes, dear Grace gave us "bug" after she opened up ENIAC and found it had stopped working because a moth had gotten stuck inside a relay. She dutifully removed it, taped it in the log book with notation computer had stopped working because of a bug. It stuck!
viral very apt for the way it spreads and can "infect" systems and people (in from of addiction to watching! or making)
--well that's enough geekiness for today! --
Perl is my weapon of choice...I like the string parsing qualities as well as the CRAZY data structures you can make.
Bwahahahahaha
I agree, Duff isnt the best cake decorator around and I barely even see him acutally doing cakes..But I do LOVE his staff..they seem like they have so much fun working there..I worked at a cake shop and it wasnt nearly as enjoyable as it seems in Duff's shop...
I agree with what others say..its his personality..he has charisma and that will go a long way..
YES! YES! YES!
My DH is taking me to see Ace of Cakes at that convention!!!! And we're going to swing by Disneyland, too!!!!
Color me happy. 
You know, there is a saying "It's not what you know, but who you know".
Obviously Duff is very talented. Is he the best? Well that is subjective.
Duff has a couple of things going for him which helped him land his tv show. Duff has an amazing personality--he lights up a room. That came across in the demo that his brother, a tv producer made.
I love it when people says my cakes are like or better than Ace of Cakes because it is the only things some people know to compare them to. But I HATE it when they say I should have a show, be the next Food Netork Star, etc... I can make a cool cake, yes. But can I be on TV???? NO WAY!
The guy has PERSONALITY!!! So does his staff - Doug put it best - so even tho Duff says "It's all about the cake" - it's really not LOL! I can watch him and his staff over and over. I could NOT watch Collette!
And I look forward to the day I can up my prices and have a minimum order!! I was sooo excited today to turn down a 250 serving order because I was already booked for that weekend. Can't even believe I was strong enough to do it. Gee, maybe I ought to call them back? Maybe I can squeeze it in between the wedding cake and the bar mitzvah? If I don't sleep at all? Wish I had Geoff tied up in my kitchen to help! How about a remake of the movie/book Misery with me and Geoff?
Speaking of TV personalities, I got to catch that show on WE about Cake Masters. It was great! Except there is one cake "master" that I just DO NOT GET. Maybe someone can explain it to me? That is the Cake Diva. I have seen her on a couple of challenges and she was also on this show. The cake she did SUCKED. All her cakes suck. And her personality sucks! (she is very full of herself...) Am I missing something?
When is Cake Masters on? Gotta look that one up.
*more cowbell* snicker! love that!
That is the Cake Diva. I have seen her on a couple of challenges and she was also on this show. The cake she did SUCKED. All her cakes suck. And her personality sucks! (she is very full of herself...) Am I missing something?
TOTALLY AGREE!!! I've seen her on a few things and I just don't understand why she's invited to participate and how she's got such a popular business. I mean, I just looked at her website and, granted, some of her cakes look nice, but others......wow, I've seen soooo much better, especially here on CC!
Look at the shoe cake she did, for example:
http://www.cakediva.com/gallery/gallery_index.html
It won't let me post the actual picture, so there's the link. (Click on the "bust" cake for the Extreme Cakes gallery). Anyway, the fondant is poorly applied, saggy, bumpy, the lines aren't even close to being straight, the writing looks terrible, and the shoe looks like she didn't let it dry and the heel part started falling in on itself. I just don't get all the hype. 
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Holy Shamoly! I feel SOOOO much better about my cakes after looking at Cake Diva's close up like that. Also - I think she needs a new camera! Lots of blurry dark pictures on the site.
But again - she is a personality, she has an alter ego - the Cake Diva, we may not all like the style, but SOMEBODY out there does. Maybe her cakes taste super-fab? I seem to remember that she prefers to work in buttercream (?) so that could explain the sloppy fondant work.
Hey if she can pull it off all the power to her, but like I said - boy do I feel good about MY work now!
I would love for the Ace of Cakes to post on the TV show how much his cakes cost!
I'm so tired of customers wanting a 3-d cake with like freaking fireworks that shoot out of the top and will hop around and sing happy birthday AND help raise their children all for the low low price of $19.99!!
What is his minimum order these days? $500?
I wish people would understand!
I don't know if you've gotten your answer yet but the min order at Charm City Cakes is $1000.00....AND to even get an appointment you have to pay a $100 deposit.
You know what they say...time is money.
I'm sorry...but some of those cakes are waaaaaay to small to cost that much. I like to watch the show but all some people are paying for is the designer label.
I'm sorry...but some of those cakes are waaaaaay to small to cost that much.
It's called Lost Opportunity Cost. If AofC is spending their time working on a small cake that might only bring in $300, then they arem, at the same time, NOT working on that $2500 cake because their time is being tied up in a $300 cake..... which doesn't even pay the overhead.
If you want the benefit of their talent, then you pay for it.
As we all say on here frequently .... you're not paying for the cake, you're paying for the time and talent it takes to turn "just a cake" into more than "just a cake".
It's called Lost Opportunity Cost. If AofC is spending their time working on a small cake that might only bring in $300, then they arem, at the same time, NOT working on that $2500 cake because their time is being tied up in a $300 cake..... which doesn't even pay the overhead.
If you want the benefit of their talent, then you pay for it.
As we all say on here frequently .... you're not paying for the cake, you're paying for the time and talent it takes to turn "just a cake" into more than "just a cake".
I totally agree Debi. I don't even want to think how many thousands they pay a month for just rent, utilities, supplies, and wages. A huge shop like theirs in the heart of a major metropolitan area must cost them an arm and a leg. You can't support a storefront like that selling $300 cakes.
The way I see it, Charm City is like the Louis Vuitton of cakes. You pay for the name and bragging rights when you get a cake from there. If you want one bad enough and have the disposable income, then go for it! I think Duff and his team more than deserve to charge what they do because they are artistically brilliant. What they lack in technique they more than make up for in originality. They aren't cake decorators so much as they are Sugar Artists, and all sweets are their medium.
I'm sorry...but some of those cakes are waaaaaay to small to cost that much.
It's called Lost Opportunity Cost. If AofC is spending their time working on a small cake that might only bring in $300, then they arem, at the same time, NOT working on that $2500 cake because their time is being tied up in a $300 cake..... which doesn't even pay the overhead.
If you want the benefit of their talent, then you pay for it.
As we all say on here frequently .... you're not paying for the cake, you're paying for the time and talent it takes to turn "just a cake" into more than "just a cake".
Yeah, I understand that. Tell that to my sister. My niece wants a strawberry shortcake cake for her 4th bday but she said she'd only buy it from me if it was cheaper than walmart......it doesn't matter to her about the cake. My niece wanted something nice so I'm going to do it for HER b/c I want her to have something nice. So basically I'm doing it for cost.
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