Is It Just Me...what's Your Take?
Decorating By PSLCakeLady Updated 12 Oct 2006 , 2:52pm by meggylou
I caught the Food Network Challenge today about mid-way through and the theme was gingerbread houses based on real mansions. It's really tough competing...I've done it and the stress plus the time crunch, ugh 
it'll make a grown man cry. And, while on that note, comes the subject of the Cake Diva. Once again she competes and yet again as always, she just makes herself look terrible because she is sooooo very sloppy. I don't know, but I went on her website to give her the benefit of the doubt but it's not good. I would think when you put cakes on your website you'd try to put the best you can do. But she's got some really sloppy stuff on there considering she's one of the front runners. It is a hard thing though because there is so much talent out there but I just wonder how the Food Network finds these people. There are so..so many talented people out there and this CC certainly is a testiment to that. I am humbled by others talents and just wonder....is it just me knit picking...I know I'm not perfect and if asked, I hardly think I would accept the challenge based on my pride alone. I would be more afraid of embarrising myself. I have my good points I think but Lord knows, I would have to admit my flaws and not place myself on national t.v.
Forgive me, I am not self-righteous, but the real question is ...Is it just me or do other people notice this about this decorator?
P.S. I think CC has some of the most talented people out there...as I go through the galleries, I am amazed at the beautiful things that you all come up with. I think many of you should be on the Food Network! 
PSLCakeLady
I COMPLETELY concur with everything you stated. Before I knew there was a "professional" named Cake Diva, I used that name here, on this site, thinking I was the only one utilizing that name. But.......after seeing her work on the Food Network Challenges, i.e., Carousel Cake and her Gingerbread Cake, Yikesabee!!! I decided to create a new name for myself! How sad is that??
I, too, have often wondered where and how they find the competitors. I truly believe I have seen more combined works of art, HERE, at CC, than anywhere else on the web.
Food network needs to start looking for REAL cake decorators and they should start at Cake Central!
i was watching that too, and i was just saying to my husband that she always seems to choke in the crunch so to speak. they've shown her at her shop and her stuff in the background looks pretty awesome. i should check out her website. i just felt bad for her. she might be one of those people (like me) that don't do good under pressure like that.
PSLCakeLady
I COMPLETELY concur with everything you stated. Before I knew there was a "professional" named Cake Diva, I used that name here, on this site, thinking I was the only one utilizing that name. But.......after seeing her work on the Food Network Challenges, i.e., Carousel Cake and her Gingerbread Cake, Yikesabee!!! I decided to create a new name for myself! How sad is that??
I, too, have often wondered where and how they find the competitors. I truly believe I have seen more combined works of art, HERE, at CC, than anywhere else on the web.
Food network needs to start looking for REAL cake decorators and they should start at Cake Central!
I checked out your gallery. WOW!!! IMO Foodnetwork should be calling you!!! You are a wonderful cake artist and I can see why you wouldn't want anyone to mistake you for CakeDiva!!!
-Rezzy
i agree. like her piano cake, on which the lid looks bent, or the taj mahal, where the columns aren't stright (which also happened on her gingerbread house). Sometimes her stuff is great, but some isn't so much, especially when you consider her prices.
I have to say that I do not like her stuff, or they way she works. when the food network shows her at her shop, they only show her talking to staff, not actually doing any decorating (at least that is all I have seen).
Personally, I prefer not to even watch challenges that she is in, though I did watch the gingerbread mansions to see the other creations, but I did cringe everytime they showed hers.
In my opinion, she has shown repeatedly that she does not have the attention to detail needed to create something in the time frame alloted, and personally, after viewing her cakes on her site (admitedly with a very critical eye) I would not order on of hers. they may look good as a thumbnails, but open up the picture and there are obvious flaws. Plus, most of her pictures make it very hard to see too many details.
Now, I am not saying I am better than her. NOT AT ALL!!!! But I am willing to admit that I am not a seasoned professional, and my prices reflect that. But some of the flaws I see in her cakes are things I would never let a cake of mine leave my kitchen with.
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this post are my own, and only my own, and should not be viewed in any other way. There, that covers my butt
oh my gosh i cringe every time i see her!...her work is so sloppy....wonder why they don't invite someone else??
and there was another awful decorator on that birthday cake challenge....she was so awful she put the head on backwards!
and while i'm venting....i know colette is a big whoop te do and all, but to me her cakes kinda all look the same.....i think mike mccurdy ought to win once in awhile...his are so original.
I agree with you I saw her carousel cake and was not impressed. I was surprised she made it to a competition at that level. I have seen several on this site who could easily put her to shame. But I guess there is an audience for all kinds of art. No?! I also noticed something I really was not impressed with her work, that was the lack of stability. If you are going to create grand pieces then they should be able to withstand a breeze and not fall over. That cake looked as though it would topple at any moment. I would be afraid to hire someone who doesnt' think of that kind of thing. I may be crazy but I think that is an important issue in work like this.
Here is the link to her website:
http://www.cakediva.com/
I must admit, when just glancing, you can see she has some nice cakes, i.e, The Bust, WOW!! But, like others have said, she is not consistant.
I agree that I cringe sometimes when I see her compete - but Hats off to her for even trying!!! You never really know - look at Duff - he didn't do so well in his first couple of competitions but now he has his own show, he did AWESOME w/ the rice krispy challenge, and he's improving - I think you sometimes have to do competitions to improve yourself - especially if you are the best decorator in your area or something - how can you improve if you don't put yourself up against others who are better?
I'm not into sports but my brother always said this about basketball- he said he wanted to play w/ kids better than him so that he could improve - if he was hte "best" player out of his friends, there was no challenge - there was no incentive to keep trying to improve- so maybe that's why she's doing it - she's putting herself out there to challenge herself and to improve her own decorating. Granted, she may not be doing the best out there but at least she's not letting her fear of failure keep her down or keep her from trying something new! I'd be terrified and feel so inadequate!
However, I look at my state fair's competition and I wonder why I didn't enter - there were so few actual "good" cakes in the competition - yet I didn't enter b/c I had never seen the competition and I thought I might look foolish w/ my cakes...... how wrong I was! I missed out on the opportunity to practice some skills and to be in a pretty laid back competition (no time frame really!). Now, I wish I had at least entered SOMETHING for the experience.
I do agree that some CC'ers should be on more of the challenges! Now I'm done and off my soapbox
I have heard someone say that the best way to learn is to enter into these contests and challenges. If you go in with a good attitude and expect not to win, you will come out learning a lot. I don't know about y'all but I know I am my worst critic. I am not by any means one of the most talented. I know someone who just started doing cakes and she's amazing....Ugh...I want to be like that when I grow up and yet, I've been doing this for a little while now.
Please pardon me, truly, it's not my intention to knock anyone's work. I know it is difficult when you're under the gun so to speak. I was just curious if it was only me thinking this. I really did feel bad for the Cake Diva when they were judging her because she was crying. She obviously was unhappy with her work as well. I suppose it part of competing. You have to take the good with the bad.
Gosh, I sure hope Cake Diva isn't a member of CC and has to read all this criticism about herself!!! 
This is a touchy subject. Someone posts a cake on cc and asks for an opinion. Often it is a beginner who could use more experience and would benefit from being less sloppy. But I notice so many comments that aren't true. They are encouraging but not true. Often people will praise sloppy work. Is this how this woman got the wrong opinon of her own work?
I totally agree with you on that.
She really is not a Pastry Chef.. she never had any formal training, but
that does not excuse her fron being sloppy.. there are a lot of good
cake artists here that are far better than her, but also did not have any formal training. Besides that she is sloppy, she has that attitude in her that she can beat anybody, when she snaps her fingers or slaps her hands.
But then in the end, she's the one who gets embarassed after showing such very amateurish results, compared to her competitors.
Besides that she is sloppy, she has that attitude in her that she can beat anybody, when she snaps her fingers or slaps her hands.
But then in the end, she's the one who gets embarassed after showing such very amateurish results, compared to her competitors.
I just kind look at her when she slaps her hands or snaps her fingers.
That makes me so mad, who she thinks she is?? also I would think she could afford a better website, i think I could do that myself, the quality of the pictures is so poor, I wonder why???
To be extremely blunt, if I were her, I would decline an invitation to participate in any other Food Network Challenges. She may very well be a great artist in her own environment, but doesn't produce well under pressure. No more, Sister!! Time to hang up the TV apron.
I wonder if anyone in her shop is better than her. If so, why doesn't she bring that person to the next challenge with her as her assistant. The new person can do the hard parts, and Cake Diva can stand around acting like a diva and doing the easier parts.
Just a thought...
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