I heard through the grape vine that the new owners of one of the venues I have been a preferred vendor at for years was having issues cutting my cakes. The new manager (who has known me for as long as I have been in business and used to work freelance with the old owners) mentioned it to a mutual friend and fellow wedding vendor. This mutual friend encouraged her to contact me so I could teach the new staff how to cut and serve a torted cake (taller than untorted cakes and 3 layers of filling means three places a wet filling like custard can make the layers come apart if you dont do it right , I know im preaching to the choir)   This mutual friend said the new owner was insistent that she knew how to cut a cake and there must be something wrong with mine in particular (I am the only area cake person who torts and uses real freshly made custards and such in fillings so this was not an issue with the other cakes)    I had never had an issue with the old owners or any other venue (or individual client) I work with. I decided to let it go since I wasnt really supposed to know about the conversation. 

Fast forward to last night, annual mass tasting at that venue.  In a change from the past they decided to just have cake people drop off their tasting cakes and THEY would serve it instead of having us do it and mingle with the clients. No biggie, I was happy to be home. I dropped off my cakes in the back kitchen and left. I had to return 2 hours later for a client meeting just before the mass tasting began. I walked into the back kitchen to check on how the cakes were being cut to find the new owner (the one who insisted she knew cake) BUTCHERING my cakes with a STEAK KNIFE!!! Throwing large chunks of it in the garbage in frustration!!! I gently asked if I could help and get the proper tools from the main kitchen to slice it. She agreed, I went and secured a long super sharp knife and a spatula (would have preferred a cake comb but that was all they had) I came back and tried to work with what she had already done. She was grateful for the help and quite humble. She actually apologized for butchering my "beautiful cakes"  I was happy to have had an opportunity to show her.

I had another client meeting there today and spoke with the event mgr and she has asked that I come in and give a cake cutting lesson for the new staff. If only they had just come to me to begin with, frustration could have been avoided :/   I wonder how many of my tiered cakes were butchered over the past months there :(

Sorry so long :( 

UUUUUUUggggg,  I would have screamed, if I saw some one doing that to one of my cakes.  I am so sorry you had to go through that.  Some people just don't even understand the difference.  One of my instructors hated untorted  cakes, (she said they were unprofessional), while I do think they are more elegant, some people don't mine.  But you should really be careful cutting them,  I am still stuck on the steak knife.  Some people just grind my gears, I would tell them I would teach them for a small fee.

AThe thing is that this woman asked me via fb once how to cut cake ( but in a joking, I already know but what do you tell other people , way). I told her then a clean, London super sharp knife and a cake comb....gave detailed instruction....when I saw her with that steak knife and my cake I almost lost it but I figured I would want grace if it were me. She bought this venue having never done anything in the wedding industry so the last year has been quite the shock. I don't think she thought it would be this much work

AOk what in the world is a London sharp knife LOLOLOL I love autocorrect ...um NOT. :) it was meant to say long

You work well under pressure my dear,lol

For my daughter's sweet sixteen, I made a 3 tier cake, I had to leave to pick up one of her friends that was late to the party, I had a sharp chef's knife and a warm container of water and four clothes beside the cake, they were suppose to wait for me to get back to cut it, this is what I came back to:

And that was the bottom tier, I almost choked when I saw it, went and have a stiff one just to be able to look at it again and clean up the mess.

Lol, I was wondering too.

AOh my goodness enga that is awful :(. People ask me all the time if I mind that all my hard work gets cut up and I always say no because I'm as excited for them to eat it as I am for them to see it, but when I walked in that kitchen I was sick to my stomach. I am sure that was your feeling as well :(

I don't mind when people cut the cake and give me compliments on how it looks and taste, after all it is meant to be eaten, it is the straight butchery that bothers me.

I guess they paid for them and  can do as they please,  doesn't make it any easier to watch though.

I could tell you some real horror stories of the things I have seen is this industry that would blow your hair back,lol.

AIndividuals yes gut a venue should know better :/

Yes, I know, she was really wrong for what she did, and you did offer to cut the cakes,  she should have felt bad for that.

I guess you could show them how to properly cut the cakes in the future, but is she going to be willing to let you do your own cakes or is this going to be the new standing practice from now on?

AOh no I cannot hang around to cut cake for them. I deliver, setup and leave. It is their job to learn the different aspects of their business. I'm happy to show them once.

I was curious about the wedding cake vendor business.  Do you just do cakes cakes for their venues, how does it work.  Me, well I just do cakes here and there out of a commercial kitchen and work part-time, so you might as well say it's a hobby right now.    I just never knew much about wedding venues.

Sorry it is off topic, I was just wondering.

Ahahahahahahaha! At least you got to fix it in the end, I can't believe they were chucking bits in the bin!
 

I just heard from the mother of the bride of a recent wedding cake. She told me that the venue had cut the bottom half (2 1/2 inches) off each cake and then stacked the leftover cake back up for them to take home so it still looked like a 3 tier cake but with just skinny tiers. I have never heard of people cutting the cake this way and it means that each guest would have only got a tiny piece. 

ALiz I have never heard of that either :/. That means that the guests didn't get what the bride paid for them to have :(.

Enga, I make cakes for whoever hires me to do so. Several venues appreciate the quality of my cakes and recommend me as a proffered vendor. It is still first come first serve though, I don't hold dates for venues over individuals. I have a good working relationship with the venues I deliver to.

And I like your cakes too, lol.  They are beautiful, love the Black and White, it's so classic.  I 'm still practicing with fondant.

Thanks for the info, it sounds like it's great for your business.  I have never done a wedding cake for anyone professionally,  just a small family wedding 4 years ago.

I wish you much success.