Anyone Watching Fn Challenge (Kerry Vincent)?
Decorating By Kimmers971 Updated 19 Nov 2009 , 1:11pm by yumcake06
Can you imagine serving Coco to your guests? (maybe your church group, or the PTA?)
The entire time I kept saying that this Stevie person could not be real. And when Jason grabbed the fire extinguisher, I think I died of laughter. It certainly was an entertaining challenge and I think Kerry and the judges went pretty easy on Stevie. The entire time that she was "decorating" me and my sister were sitting there with our jaws on the floor.
I love when Jason and Josh work together. They're a great team and super cute together and I'm glad they won. Their cake really did look Kerry-like.
It seemed a little staged that Zane magically found a partner in the audience, never covered a cake in fondant and yet made a perfect cake. None the less, his cake was gorgeous.
Buddy made an OK cake. It was generic and too child-like. And I'm not sure where the Chanel purse idea came from? 
Not too surprising, dreamn900, that Zane found another cake decorator in the audience. I have met lots of cake decorators at ICES that go to the challenges. And yes, Zane has said in the demos that I have taken that he hasn't covered a cake in fondant before. He does awesome work tho' and fantastic fondant figures and bows.
His wife, Shazia, is also a great cake decorator.
Okay, I went to the website and her work is as gross looking as the show. She has a chocolate sculpture of a vagina on there called coco. It is disgusting!
I'm still catching up with this thread--omg--thanks for the heads up on her website--you saved me a trip over there now.
I have to say that I like Stevie, but she's not a cake decorator, she's an artist. I have an art background, so I was enjoying watching her make her sculpture (which was how she was looking at it, ladies, not as a cake.) I might be the only person so far who actually liked her piece, but I got it when she said something about it being a "bed of nails." Isn't that what her relationship with Kerry is? 
I loved it, and I think that Patrick did give her a compliment when he said that he appreciates her artwork. He was the only one who bothered to look to see what she was doing, rather than clench their teeth and say "that's not a pretty cake!"
And I hope that everyone on here who looked at that chocolate vagina and said "eeeew" (myself included) never looks at a Georgia O'Keefe painting and says "oh how lovely." Georgia O'Keefe is one in a long line of artists who paint a lot of vaginas (oh, I'm sorry, FLOWERS). My roommate once brought home a G. O'K painting and wanted to put it up in the kitchen, but the rest of us vetoed it due to the vaginal overtones.
Food Network keeps bringing her back because she's controversial (obviously, look at this thread. Most of the posts are about her, and how much traffic has this sent to her website?) I just think that everyone needs to relax, and remember that we're all being manipulated every week by editing and the FN's desire for ratings.
And of course Jason's cake won, it looked like something that Kerry would have made. Pale colors, prissy and precise. He's no dummy, he did what he had to do to win.
i could not believe what i was seeing...i have heard time after time the judges say that they look for how clean your kitchen is...but i about died when the staffer brought over the fire ext. and she said "do you have to?"
...what the heck...ummm...yea.. 
i have seen many people set alcohol on fire and it does give a pretty flame on it...BUT you could not even see the cups on that cake disaster...did anyone else notice, when they did the close up of the cake, that there was leaves in it from the strawberrys?
i love jason and zane's cakes...i dont think buddy even seemed to try to this time...but i do love his show 
...I can honestly say that I have known many artists that have alot of the same quirks as she does.
Remember art is different to everyone...it is in the eye of the beholder. Several of my artist friends have to get in that "zone" and feel the true meaning or feeling comes out only when they have reached that level. Stevie got into her "zone" during the mixer point. Her kitchen was messy but some art studios can look like that. Remember "zone"......
I understand a paint-artist studio looking like that, but we're dealing with FOOD here. Theoretically, this cake is going to be eaten by people and waching her use her bare hands to stuff cake "goo" between those hunks of cake was disgusting. Her whole attitude of not caring what the kitchen looked like was a reflection on her work habits and I'd question anything that came out of her kitchen as far as food safety and cleanliness was concerned.
Paint on the walls or the floor is one thing. But when you're dealing with food, there are rules and guidelines to be followed!
I wouldnt' eat a piece of that cake if you paid me!!
I understand a paint-artist studio looking like that, but we're dealing with FOOD here. Theoretically, this cake is going to be eaten by people and waching her use her bare hands to stuff cake "goo" between those hunks of cake was disgusting. Her whole attitude of not caring what the kitchen looked like was a reflection on her work habits and I'd question anything that came out of her kitchen as far as food safety and cleanliness was concerned.
Paint on the walls or the floor is one thing. But when you're dealing with food, there are rules and guidelines to be followed!
I wouldn't eat a piece of that cake if you paid me!!
But seriously, is there anyone who really expects to eat anything that comes out of those challenges anymore? Does anyone really think that Kerry Vincent was looking forward to eating "her" birthday cake?
And what person in the world never had a birthday cake before? WTF?
Again, that was a sculpture, not a cake to be eaten. And honestly, Kerry did seem to be drawn in a strange way to Stevie's cake more than any other up there. I think it fascinated her in a way that she couldn't resist! Her husband's comment about not being able to "WOW" her in 35 years the way Stevie did was funny. I'll bet she's still talking about it, whether good or bad, it's talking up space in her brain! 
I have to say that I like Stevie, but she's not a cake decorator, she's an artist. I have an art background, so I was enjoying watching her make her sculpture (which was how she was looking at it, ladies, not as a cake.) I might be the only person so far who actually liked her piece, but I got it when she said something about it being a "bed of nails." Isn't that what her relationship with Kerry is?
I loved it, and I think that Patrick did give her a compliment when he said that he appreciates her artwork. He was the only one who bothered to look to see what she was doing, rather than clench their teeth and say "that's not a pretty cake!"And I hope that everyone on here who looked at that chocolate vagina and said "eeeew" (myself included) never looks at a Georgia O'Keefe painting and says "oh how lovely." Georgia O'Keefe is one in a long line of artists who paint a lot of vaginas (oh, I'm sorry, FLOWERS). My roommate once brought home a G. O'K painting and wanted to put it up in the kitchen, but the rest of us vetoed it due to the vaginal overtones.
Food Network keeps bringing her back because she's controversial (obviously, look at this thread. Most of the posts are about her, and how much traffic has this sent to her website?) I just think that everyone needs to relax, and remember that we're all being manipulated every week by editing and the FN's desire for ratings.
Girl, I AGREE with you, TOTALLY!! I LOVE STEVIE! Infact, I emailed her right after the show to tell her how TOTALLY AMAZING she is and how much I like her cake. Yes, she is different and yes she had a messy kitchen but she has creativity.
I too have an artistic background (painting), that's what I have been doing before cake decorating. Most people don't know how to look at art in a different view. Look at it this way, most people wouldn't chose a Jackson Pollock painting because it's simply splattered paint. Honestly, it's not just splattered paint, there are the elements and principles of art.
Anyway, I know Stevie's cake isn't the best but I like it. It's jungle meets cave art, I love it!
Btw, I think the stacked strawberries were really cute. GREAT JOB STEVIE.
Yes God bless Norman--anybody have an update on his health? And blessings on the lady who pitched in--wow--so far beyond the call of duty--impressive for her. Zane, a real trooper, what a cake what a cake! And then the painting!
Buddy made a great great cake. I love Buddy.
*Buddy needs to get Margaret Braun's book & read it.
Perhaps she did but I did not see Stevie doweling any of the height there so it all smooshed in and she lost her battle to get the height she needed. That's why it didn't go the distance.
I mean that's cake deco 101.
But I will stand corrected if she actually did dowel on the way up--I saw no additional boards nor dowel cut to fit.
The 'bed of nails comment' was an aside, clever though it may seem--it just happened--it was far from her intended result. Besides, nothing says Happy Birthday quite like an antagonistic negative spirit coupled with torture.
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I was so glad Jason & Joshua won!!! I was so glad to see them take the challenge and fashion a cake to Kerry's likings. Those freaking (difficult)ropes & then they painted them gold--the crown--so Kerry-the beautiful mosaic and the soft colors. I mean she is a queen of profound and penetrating artistry. They truly deserved the win.
Kerry's husband was real cute too.
I was just thinking about the "bed of nails" comment, and I think it's really about her perception of Kerry's personality. A bed of nails covered by cake? Now THAT makes sense to me. I cracked up laughing when she said that, and it still makes me laugh!
How many people will remember what the winning cake looked like in a couple of months? We'll all sure as hell remember Stevie's cake, though! 
I was so glad Jason & Joshua won!!! I was so glad to see them take the challenge and fashion a cake to Kerry's likings. Those freaking (difficult)ropes & then they painted them gold--the crown--so Kerry-the beautiful mosaic and the soft colors. I mean she is a queen of profound and penetrating artistry. They truly deserved the win.
"Profound and penetrating artistry"? I have to disagree with you on this one. I've always thought Kerry Vincent's style was technically perfect but really uptight. I had a client who wanted the dogwood cake in her book, and when I tried to make the dogwoods the way that she did, I started getting really tense. I told my husband that the person who made these must be really rigid and uptight. I finally made them the way that I wanted to, and the bride liked them better, so it worked out. I would call Kerry's cake decorating style obsessive and overworked, with a touch of "stick up the butt" thrown in. Technically good, but a little too Victorian for my taste.
Edited to add: Last year there was a British cake decorating magazine that had a cake made by her in it. In the preview for it, the editor said something along the lines of "for those of you who like your cakes to be a bit more pretentious, we have a cake by Kerry Vincent next month." I thought that was really funny, but I bet she didn't like it too much!
Y'know what I think though about Georgia O'Keefe? Flowers and fruit and a lot of foods are sexual just like we all are. And there's all the varying degrees from beyond triple x all the way over to the merely sensual.
Consider the pure white calla lily...
Myself I prefer the subtleness and suggestion of art rather than the ribald, rash and reckless kind.
However I could enjoy the rash and reckless kind when for example Jackson Pollack or Andy Warhol might be the Birthday boy. But even they might not be interested in watching the birth of the creation. Maybe maybe not.
I would have liked to have seen her hit her mark as drawn and engineer the structure as a for really cake decorator as well as an artist. I wasn't crazy about the strawberries but it did kinda work for her. The plain wood bothered me too.
Toss it up and see what sticks is a form of art though.
This has been on my mind since the show.....why was some of Stevie's cake green and some purple on the ends before she smashed it onto the skewers? Was it frosted? On one side? Was the purple jelly? It was just so unappetizing. And, I kept thinking if this was a real cake for a real client, once cut it would just be like unrolled cake balls on a plate.
Some of you are saying Stevie intentionally made a bed of nails, covered in cake, as a theme to describe her relationship with Kerry? How is that possible? She didn't know who the mystery client was. She came in with her sketch and game plan and didn't alter it a bit. It wasn't a nose thumbing directed at anyone. It was just coincidence.
I was so glad Jason & Joshua won!!! I was so glad to see them take the challenge and fashion a cake to Kerry's likings. Those freaking (difficult)ropes & then they painted them gold--the crown--so Kerry-the beautiful mosaic and the soft colors. I mean she is a queen of profound and penetrating artistry. They truly deserved the win.
"Profound and penetrating artistry"?
I have to disagree with you on this one. I've always thought Kerry Vincent's style was technically perfect but really uptight. I had a client who wanted the dogwood cake in her book, and when I tried to make the dogwoods the way that she did, I started getting really tense. I told my husband that the person who made these must be really rigid and uptight. I finally made them the way that I wanted to, and the bride liked them better, so it worked out. I would call Kerry's cake decorating style obsessive and overworked, with a touch of "stick up the butt" thrown in. Technically good, but a little too Victorian for my taste.Edited to add: Last year there was a British cake decorating magazine that had a cake made by her in it. In the preview for it, the editor said something along the lines of "for those of you who like your cakes to be a bit more pretentious, we have a cake by Kerry Vincent next month." I thought that was really funny, but I bet she didn't like it too much!
Here's what my thesaurus says about the word profound,
Main Entry: profound
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: intellectual, thoughtful
Synonyms: Orphic, abstruse, acroamatic, deep, difficult, discerning, enlightened, erudite, esoteric, heavy*, hermetic, informed, intellectual, intelligent, knowing, knowledgeable, learned, mysterious, occult, penetrating, philosophical, recondite, reflective, sagacious, sage, scholarly, secret, serious, shrewd, skilled, subtle, thorough, weighty, wise
Clearly her work is seriously intense with layer upon layer upon layer upon layer of passion and she has an incredible, unique style. Almost untouchable--yes I agree. You just don't seem to like her style. It is nothing if not profound.
This has been on my mind since the show.....why was some of Stevie's cake green and some purple on the ends before she smashed it onto the skewers? Was it frosted? On one side? Was the purple jelly? It was just so unappetizing. And, I kept thinking if this was a real cake for a real client, once cut it would just be like unrolled cake balls on a plate.
unrolled cake balls
And what was that deal where she tossed an empty aluminum pan on the floor and said "Water"?
Will anyone who saw that show ever want to eat any cake done by Stevie??? I personally thought Zane should have won-but I like Jason's cake and methods. Maybe we all should write to FN and suggest some names-like Indy and Edna-they would add drama as well as good cakes.
And what person in the world never had a birthday cake before? WTF?
I get the same reaction when people hear we never really had birthday "parties" growing up. We had a cake at dinner with candles. Period. And we had them on the payday following our birthday. If our birthday was on Wednesday, we had birthday cake on Friday or Saturday, after dad got paid and we had the money to buy a cake from the grocery freezer section. (no such thing as grocery store bakeries back then and we couldn't afford a "bakery" cake).
So I can honestly say I've never had a birthday party in my life, where a bunch of people were invited and brought presents, etc.
There's a lot of stuff that people think is "normal" that I chose not to participate in. One guy in high school was shocked that I didnt' order a senior key. What the hell did I want to spend money on that thing for? I didn't attend my high school graduation .... just picked up the diploma from the office. I graduated mid-term. My senior year I went to school until noon and "graduated" in January. Didn't go back for some silly ceremony. Had no grad party either. Many people think that's non-normal, strange and odd, but it's not who I am and I chose not to do it.
All of my family said I was an old lady when I was a kid, and I take that as a big compliment. Of course now they tell me that as an old lady, I should stop acting like a little kid, which I also consider a big compliement!
When Kerry said she was never a girly girl even as a little girl, I believed her because that describes me, too.
I missed it, thanks for the head's up on the repeat.
Was this the cake? http://steviefamulari.net/popups/B1e.html
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BTW: Georgia O'Keefe hated flowers. She painted them because they were cheap and would stay still... I've always found that hilarious.
I missed it, thanks for the head's up on the repeat.
Was this the cake? http://steviefamulari.net/popups/B1e.html
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BTW: Georgia O'Keefe hated flowers. She painted them because they were cheap and would stay still... I've always found that hilarious.
yes, that was it.
This has been on my mind since the show.....why was some of Stevie's cake green and some purple on the ends before she smashed it onto the skewers? Was it frosted? On one side? Was the purple jelly? It was just so unappetizing. And, I kept thinking if this was a real cake for a real client, once cut it would just be like unrolled cake balls on a plate.
unrolled cake balls
And what was that deal where she tossed an empty aluminum pan on the floor and said "Water"?
I thought she said, "Runner," like calling someone to come and clean up after her. She was a whirlwind!
I think Stevie falls into the "there is no bad publicity" group. No matter how you feel about her or her work she is definitely drawing attention to herself, wish is what i think she really wants. I had trouble watching the show because of her. I felt like I was feeding into her need to shock people. I agree that there are numerous cake artists on this site who are so much more deserving of a spot on the FN Challenge than her but she brings in viewers.
I enjoy reading all the opinions and discussion about her. I won't be going to look at her site though. :0
Some of you are saying Stevie intentionally made a bed of nails, covered in cake, as a theme to describe her relationship with Kerry? How is that possible? She didn't know who the mystery client was. She came in with her sketch and game plan and didn't alter it a bit. It wasn't a nose thumbing directed at anyone. It was just coincidence.
They had half an hour to design the cake at the beginning, she didn't come into it with that design necessarily. She made a comment about it being a "bed of nails," but she didn't say that she did it deliberately. I said that it was interesting that the phrase came to her and that it looks TO ME like that the "bed of nails" was a good representation of her relationship with Kerry and her opinion of Kerry's personality.
Sometimes when you're working on something like a painting or a sculpture, it takes even you a while to see what you meant by it. I've done things where I look at it later and go "Oh, wow, I get it now," but at the time I was doing it it wasn't a deliberate thing. that's what makes art fun! Everybody gets something different out of it.
And no, I don't much like Kerry's style, and I still don't think that it's "profound," the thesaurus notwithstanding. I'd be looking up "pretentious" or "fussy" to describe it.
They had half an hour to design the cake at the beginning, she didn't come into it with that design necessarily.
SHe said to her assistant, "We're not changing anything on the design", which led me to believe she had an idea in mind. Otherwise, how did she "happen" to have that whole bed of nails thing already there and assembled?
My understanding is they bring the cakes already baked so they must have SOME idea of what they may be doing????
I know some CC'ers have been on Food Network ... maybe they can shed some light on this for us?
I think they have to have a design in mind, how could they not? There have been a couple of challenges where they basically talk the client into their design, which was obviously planned out ahead.
The point of the "bed of nails" comment wasn't that she deliberately built a bed of nails specifically for Kerry Vincent. I don't think that she meant it to be a bed of nails, I think it was a support system that she referred to that way when she was thinking about what it looked like. I'm the one who brought it up as being interesting, I don't want to put words in her mouth, I just thought it was funny.
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