Ok, I absolutely LOVE the food network. Not just because to the cake shows but because of everything else they have too, but I do have one major complaint.
I work at a popular cake supply store . We get everything from beginners to professionals in our store. What I can't stand is how the food network makes everything look so EASY!! We get people in our store who have never even baked a sheet cake who what to make these big 4 tier wedding cakes or even worse, topsy turvy cakes! They think because the food network can squeeze the entire cake process into 30 minutes that it must be easy!
I'm not complaining about the people, I love talking to people and helping them learn what then need to do and sharing ideas, thats the best part of my job. Its just the food network that is driving me crazy!

I do love those cake challenges though.



Thanks for letting me vent.

I think that happens in a lot of industries. On A&E is the show "Flip This House." I used to own rental properties, so I have a small background on fixing up houses (although not to the degree these people do it), but when this show came on, I heard lots of conversations about people who wanted to buy a house, fix it up and sell it in 10 days. Do they realize how much money is going into that house on TV? Do they realize they are paying professionals to do the work .... it's not a do-it-yourself'er? Did I mention how much money they are pouring into it?

I'm always teasing my photographer friends about TV photography. I always love it when a show has a security camera facing, let's say, the receptionist's desk in the lobby. The camera takes a picture of the receptionist with a shocked look on her face. So they "rotate" the photo to see what she is looking at. I asked my photog friends, "Don't they actually have to have a camera taking a picture at every angle angle before they can rotate it 360 degrees and see what is behind her?" So I tease them about "... but it MUST be possible! I saw it on CSI!"

My husband grew up in the auto repair business. He gets a few guffs when watching the car-repair shows and they are doing really super duper high tech stuff. He will burst out laughing because they are leaving out the really hard part that is next to impossible for the regular guy to do in his backyard. To borrow a line from a Seinfeld epside, they just kinda yadda-yadda-yadda over the hard part and make it look as easy as a peanut butter sandwich!

You're both so right. It makes something risky look so easy! I'd like to make topsy turvy cakes and flip a house someday, but I know it's not something to just jump into. I can already see my topsy turvy cake falling over and my house flip putting me bankrupt if I were to try either now!

Yes, I have had many clients question why I charge so much for a topsy-turvy cake or fondant cake.

When they ask about a cake that they may have seen on "Ace of Cakes" and I give them MY price. The response is always the same..."Why, it's just cake and frosting?" And the look on their face when I tell them that Duff's starting price on cakes is $500.00--priceless!!!

I even had a young lady ask if she could call me when she and her friend started to make her wedding cake. "We've never done one before but we are young and have time." A fondant wedding cake, no less!!!

I just smiled and told her that I charge a teaching rate of $30.00 per session so I would be happy to talk them thru it.

Are you guys for real? You mean I can't fix my house and sell it for double what I paid??!!!! I was planning on doing it again next month!

Of course in that time I was going to make and sell 30 topsy turvy cakes - one a day! Oh well, now I'll just have to stay in this house and make a couple of those villian cake sculptures instead. Let's see, if I make two of those a day for three weeks...........

I love the flip this house type of thing, but talk about being unrealistic about time and money! I flipped the house I live in and I spent a whole lot more money and months of time in the process. And I still have the old bathroom to rehab and a deck to put on. Those companies on TV have workmen waiting to be pointed in the right direction. Even putting the fence in took over 6 weeks. First, someone has to come out to measure, you pick out the fencing and finally they get a bid sent to you. You sign, send it back with a deposit and then they set your installation date. Four weeks later if you are lucky.

The major rehab on the kitchen ell started in October -we are talking ripping out walls etc- and really didn't end until sometime in February. I lived in a major construction zone for months, no kitchen at all for a good three months- just the bathroom sink, the refrigerator and the microwave. The Christmas decorations that year was wreath on the door.

Could you rotate that camera so I could see the other side of the kitchen? (Oh come on! They do it on CSI!)

Hey when we gutted my kitchen it took us nearly 6 monthes to finish. Never mind about firing the contractor in the middle of it cause he messed up so bad.

And in the middle of the mess, my hubby wanted me to do his friend's kids b'day cakes (mind you i had no oven and no where to work)

Oh and about Ace of Cakes, had a girl ask me for a bull dog cake and when i qouted her $600 plus for it she was like but, but the guy on TV did it. I told her she could always get it from him.

Yes, when I tell anyone that sculpted cakes START at $100.00, you can see the look on their faces minutely change while still trying not to look shocked.

My husband's sister is in law enforcement. She HATES what the show "CSI" has done to the public. She had to check out a report of a mailbox smashing .... kids driving down a country road and smashing mailboxes with a baseball bat. A mailbox owner asked her "Aren't you going to run DNA tests?"

I think this is called "just enough knowledge to be dangerous".

ok...were are my depends!?? I have been dealing with this for more years than I care to mention.."why so much? it's only flour, sugar and eggs!???"


hahahahahaaahahhaha.......as I'm being taken away by those nice young men in clean white coats!


Have you guys ever noticed that a CHEF COAT resembles a STRAIGHT JACKET too closely for it to be a "COINCIDENCE?"

"COINCIDENCE?" I think not!

[quote="Sugar_Plum_Fairy


Have you started twiddlin' your thumbs and toes yet?[/quote]

no, but when I'm not busy ........


I tend to drool a bit....

When someone says "why so much? it's just flour, eggs and sugar" give them this 11 page article on how they can make their own wedding cake. Be sure to include the picture of the end result!

http://weddings.about.com/od/weddingcakesfoodmenus/a/weddingcakedeco.htm

What is wrong with you guys, have you forgotten that everything that happens on TV is how it happens in real life. I dont see what is wrong with gutting and rebuilding a kitchen in 3 days or a bathroom, (plans, permits, bids, wood, cabinets is everything not available at home depot when you need it, just like it is on tv?
Why can we not get a DNA test done in 30 minutes? What it takes a minimum of 24 hours to run the test, but on tv they have in in minutes.

So many people really think that everything that happens just like on TV.

Baking a cake in a few minutes is no problem, you have your recipes, you shop and preheat the oven all in 5 minutes, then you mix bake and decorate another 25 minutes, 30 minutes there you are done. Right!
LOL

Same thing with all the cool Computer stuff they do on TV. I say about .01% of what you see on TV is really what you can do!.. My DH and I are both in the It industry and we simply laugh when we see the stuff people do with the computers to make them cool.

Man, it's just like labor on TV, those kids come out after the second push ---- until people experience it they have no way of knowning. (I have done it 3 times now, and each time it's been over 3 hours) Last time I was induced, they tried Saturday, all day, and no go, then Sun. same thing, finally Monday Morning me and baby were ready! Definetely not like on TV.

Until we are like in Star Trek, there is no way you make a cake in less than 30 and do anything as fast as on TV. But reality does not sell, except the fake Reality shows they keep on dreaming up (you know those real time, real event shows.... man those are not helping either!)

Well at least we are getting a good laugh!

Good Luck.

Proud mother of 3 boys, J-L, 5 year old, Simon, 3 year old and Martin, 4 week old!

That site is an eye opener.

gateaux, I know exactly what you mean. I don't understand when people complain about not being able to find a parking spot. Just turn on the TV. Every time you go anywhere there's always a spot right in front of the destination. This even goes back to the days of "Starsky and Hutch" and "Charlie's Angels" (have I dated myself yet?). Geez, you'd think people would be satisfied getting those parking spots right in front and never having to walk!

I've noticed on Ace of Cakes that they never really say what the cakes actually cost. I'm sure people think they aren't nearly as expensive as what they are and the stuff they do looks SO easy.

The shows that really bother me are the military ones, where they show what basic is like and stuff. I'm a military brat and I know how heavily some of the content would be edited and how much they fudge over.


The problem is that people will believe stuff they see on TV. The military cooperated with some movies made in the 80s when their recruitment was low to make the service look exciting, "Top Gun" and "Iron Eagle" were a couple.

I admit, I'm one of the "as seen on TV" suckers. Poor DH just turns around and walks out of the room when he sees me gearing up for a home improvement project! My problem is, I tell myself "they have pros that know what they are doing and lots of background helpers, so it took a 30 minute show, so I better allow myself a WHOLE DAY to do this." Even when I try to give myself a reality check, my check bounces!

But, to toot my own horn, I have replaced a toilet and relocated the AC return air vent by myself (well, DH helped me carry and place the toilet, but he quickly ran away as soon as he was released...)

Yah, do they realize what Duff charges for his cakes? Like that one episode where the check bounced and it was for $3,000. Their not cheap! They really do think its easy because it looks that way on tv. Im glad their showing more of the mistakes and drama of it all. Because that is what really happens.
My friends 19 yr old daughter thought she could flip a house also. She is now in financial trouble over it. And just because CSI solves a case in an hour doesnt mean the real ones can!! They didnt have it written in their script!!

I finally saw the Disney Villain Cake Contest.
Wow, 7 hours to make the cakes. That is fast.

Now they had all their cakes pre-baked could you imagine another way?
They had all their fondant colored and ready to go.
All their supplies. So it was just put it together and make the decorations and 50 had to be made on site. We could not really tell how much they made ahead of time, I wish we could see that.

Ok, I forget if it was Mike McCarey that used 100 lbs of chocolate or Buddy Valastro who used 100 lbs of fondant. (Sorry watched it late at night - new baby and all. ) But regarless 100lbs of fondant or of chocolate would be at least $500 worth of innexpensive product. So if they used the good stuff you are looking at well over $1000. Just for that.

Even more with the rest of their ingredients, the amount of cake they used they needed stools and ladders. The mechanical pieces they build.
Bronwen Webber carved her cake for 2 hours. Man imagine the amount of cake balls you could make with those cut outs!

Only us would notice those little details, I am betting that only Mike McCarey cleared a bit of money with the check he got. I sure hope that Food Network and Disney paid for all the supplies, because that would be one expensive contest to enter if you needed to supply all of it yourself. Nice to get your name out there, but man that would be some expensive publicity!

As for the cakes they produced, I thought the cakes were really cool, I wonder how much they would be in a store, I am betting over $3000.00 a piece if not more.

A cake by Mike McCarey starts at $2.10 per slice depending on size of cake, for basic cake and BC icing, anything additional the price goes up.
http://www.mikesamazingcakes.com/

I wonder if anyone will ask a CC'r to make one this summer. Just like they did on the cake challenge, it only too 7 hours!! I'd be curious to know how much someone would be willing or expecting to pay, since it's just cake and icing!

Good Luck.

I have to admit I am a big sucker for those DIY shows, the home makeover ones at least. The cooking ones I know it takes a lot of work. But for some reason I see the home makeover stuff and start writting stuff down and then tell my hubby "Lets do this over the weekend okay?" This house is full of unfinished projects thanks to me

This thread is hysterical! I love the finished cake from the link Sun posted. I'll definitely use that one.

You have the best timing in the world is all that I can say. I had someone call me today and ask about a wedding cake, I was willing to do it for a very reasonable price and here is the clincher, she is aghast at $150. I mean just completely upset and she utters these following words to me, well WALMART will do it for $50.00 . UUUGGGGHH. I lost my temper and said " Well if you want a cake from some where you buy your underwear , best of luck" think I was a little rude? ok, I know am was, but come on .

Laura...You almost made me pee my pants, i'm laughing so hard. That is a great response. I will definitely keep that in mind next time someone says that to me!! Toooooo funny!!

Patrice

I don't know how many of you read Entertainment Weekly but this last issue had something like 100 people and things we love. At the end of the 100 things they love were 32 things they hate. I think it was number 31 where they said they hated "mundane" reality shows namely Ace of Cakes. I'd like to know what the heck is mundane about designing, baking, carving, icing, and decorating 20 or more cakes for a Saturday due date and then have to deliver and set them up. I wanted to write the people who wrote that article and ask them the very same question. But, then I realized these people live in Hollywood land and don't have a real perspective of the "real" world to begin with. Who are we but cake decorators and not magazine editors and article writers that write about things and give opinions on things they don't know about.

Okay, one and all, I've had quite a giggle over this post and all the great responses ("... have a cake made at a place you buy your underwear ...", "... even when I try to give myself a reality check, my check bounces ... "), but now it's my turn on the soapbox.

I know that, historically, Kerry Vincent is known to be a truly amazing cake designer/decorator, but I am beginning to get a little shall we say "weary" of her pinched attitude about the people who are working so hard on these cake challenges! Just once, I want to see HER glamorous self behind that kitchen counter, sweating the small stuff and making it work under those nearly impossible design requirements!

And secondly ... just how many of you ladies and gents actually move a large piece (like those over 4-foot monstrosities they require in the challenges) from the place it was constructed to the actual display table????

I

DON'T

THINK

SO !!!!!!!

Okay, so thanks for the soapbox, folks. It's been real!

{this little rant has been brought to you from my kitchen ... when I am now going to be buried under 50 pounds of "butter, eggs, and flour" until I am done baking my 2-tier whimsy cake tonight ... }
Odessa