Ok- so this past Friday I attended the Chesapeake Habitat For Humanity Harvest Gala. They had a silent auction and a live auction. One of the items up for bid at the live auction was a $500 gift cert to charm city cakes! This amount covered one cake custom designed by CCC/Duff that serves 10-15ppl. Or you could put the cert. towards the cost of a larger cake if you would like!
So I was there with my mother and she told me to go for it - her gift to me!!! I was so excited and nervous. I had never been to a live auction therefore I had never bid on anything! So we were like - who's really going to bid on a cake that serves 10ppl for $500 - so they started the bidding at $250 - I waited b/c a lot of the items weren't going for what the auctioneer started them at - so he was lowering the bids. Well a woman from across the room bid the $250 - so I went to $300 - at this time a was a wreck and was shaking but trying to act like it was no big deal! LOL - Trying to play it cool - so she jumped and went to $350 - the whole time my mother is next to me whispering "go, just keep going". So I did $400 - this was all going really fast and everyone started clapping and cheering (what a rush that all was!) so she stalled and the acutioneer asked her well, are you going to give up - and she said ok $450 -but that's it! So of course I immediately went to $500 (hey, it's for charity,right!) so the crowd went wild and was getting really into it - so back to her she said no to $550 and her friends were egging her on and the auctioneer was egging her on and she said no I just can't and he said are you sure and she said yea, so he turned to me and said well then - IT'S YOURS!!!!! And I screamed and jumped up and down!! LOL I'm sure the people in the crowd were like - what's the big deal with this girl and this cake!! LOL But hey, we are in Baltimore, how could these people not know!!!!
So anyway I still haven't come down off of my high from winning it this past Friday! So I guess I have to call them or email them today and ask them what the next step is. They said they need a 6month lead time which is perfect b/c my bday is in April and that's when I plan on getting my Duff cake!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have no idea what I want or what flavor I want or what to even tell them!! I will definitely be going to the shop to pick it up, I do know that!!! Ahhh - I might just tell them to do whatever, make it a surprise b/c I really don't even know what to tell them - colors, design, etc..... my only really passion is making cakes and I don't want to tell them to use that for the inspiration - don't want them to think I'm trying to get in with them!! (even though secretly I would kill for that!)LOL

So anyway - sorry so long - this was just a super exciting time for me and I can't wait to actually get the cake and see what it looks like and to taste it!!!!! Oh, now I have to decide on a flavor too!!!!

Wow...congrats - I'd be jumping up and down too!

But then to most people it's just cake and a tub of icing!

Very cool....I was so excited just reading your post!!
You must let us know when you meet the rest of his gang!!!

Congrats! You must post a picture of the cake when you get it! I'm so excited for you and a little envious, too.

I definitely will - I will keep you updated every step of the way!! I'm going to call them or email them today - I wonder how long it will take for them to get through all their emails and respond back to me!!

Congrats!! Maybe (and I hope) that your story will be featured on Ace of Cakes...how cool would that be?! That is so exciting that Duff will be designing and making your cake! He has a lot of talented artists and decorators who work with him. April seems like a long way away...but please post a pic when it's ready!

AWESOME keep us posteD

yea- I was thinking that too -just what if it was on TV.....that would just be icing on the cake!!

it will be a lonnnnngggggg 6 months that's for sure!!

and yes - I will keep you all updated!!!!

That is AWESOME. Can't wait to hear an update.

That is so cool! Congratulations. I love that show, maybe they will televise it when you come to pick it up since it's for charity. Even if they don't I'm still jealous! (but really happy for you!) Have fun and tell all of them hi from us Cake Central-ers. They have a link here from their website so they must be aware of us. (: Have fun and post the cake here when you get it. I think you should tell them that you are a fellow decorator too. Congrats again.

well I have been debating about telling them that I am a decorator too - I don't want to seem like I'm trying to buy my way in!! LOL - but we'll see -I just can't wait to get it all started....thanks guys for sharing my excitement!! It's so much fun!!!

DEFINITLY tell them you decorate and to design a cake around that!! I think they would think it was so cool!!

I can't wait to see a picture of it!!

Heck I think YOU should bring DUFF a cake when you go to pick up yours! LOL! I'd use anything I could to "get in" with them if I had the chance!

Wow! How cool! I'm excited for you!

yea I was joking with a friend and I said I wonder if they can make a cake to look like a cake!! LOL So yea, I'm up in the air still about this one but that might be cool - maybe they could do a fondant figure of me baking a cake!! LOL I would like to see a fondant replica of myself!! LOL

The other thing is is that I don't know what the $500 includes, is that just a simple fondant cake with not a lot of bells and whistles or can it be a carved cake for that amount ... so I guess I need to get more details from them before I decide completely!

That would be so funny for me to bring them a cake when I pick up mine!! That would probably make it on the show!! Who does that?!?!? LOL I would be featured as the weird lady who brought a cake to pick up a cake!!! HMMMMM- I may just do that!! I have 6 months to plan and make an awesome cake for Duff and the crew.....I better start thinking....

Congrats on snagging the cake. From what I've heard around town (I'm from Baltimore too) and read on their website, $500 doesn't get you many bells and whistles, but I think it would be worth it just to get to walk in shop. They have a window you can look in, but other than that, it's a no fly zone for foodies! Congrats again!

Woohoo!! I'd be jumping up and down too! I'm so jealous, but so happy for you! You should definitely make them a cake.....they would love that!! Keep us posted! Don't forget to mention all us CC friends if you get on tv!

yea- right now I don't care if $500 gets me a cupcake - just to be able to go through the process and experience it all is sooooooo worth it!

I just keep laughing when I think of myself walking into their shop with a cake for them.....I wonder if anyone has done that for them before??? And you're right - they just might think that is kind of neat!

Thats really exciting! I hope you can post the photo of the cake so that we can see it.

That is sooo cool! I'm so excited for you! Bringing them a cake would be so funny. It's always easier to eat cake that someone else has made. They probably feel exactly the same way!

I completely agree with letting them design your cake around be a decorator, how fun..... they could tips and everything... they would probably SO dig on it and you know it might get featured on the show because of its theme!!!!!!!! OMG I am so excited for you..... I would have been fighting that bid right along with you, how neat is that! Congrats or for you and good on your mom for being such a great woman to let you just go for it!!!!! Great win, great cause.... good luck, keep us posted!

yea- that's what I thought too -I love to be able to go somewhere and eat cake other then mine!! LOL

Yes - my mother is a great mom - she told me she would have let me go up to $1000!!!!! She was so happy just to see me so happy! She had lost out on some other items in the silent auction so she said that's ok - she would just save the money to win the cake!! I think that other girl could tell that I wasn't going to back down! I never hesitated once on bidding!! I think I scared her!!hee hee

Heck yeah I would tell them you are a decorator! Just tell them that is what makes it so cool for you to get a cake from them. I don't think they would be assuming you are trying to get a job unless you ask for one! LOL!

Ok- so I just sent them an email letting them know that I wanted to cash in!! LOL j/k - so yea, a general email telling them how I got the gift cert and that the auction was for Habitat for Humanity etc etc. So we'll see how long it takes to get a response!!! AHHHHHH - I'm excited all over again!!! i am such a nerd....

how awesome is that!! your mom is soo cool to let you bid that much. congratulations and i really hope food network features your experience on an episode of ace of cakes. ooooh let us know!! i would love to see it.

How exciting!! Girl, you just HAVE to tell them that your a decorator! That's why you were so set on winning the auction! Maybe some of his talent will be infused in the cake! LOL! That would be so funny if they had it on the show...Duff could wave his hands over the cake or something, or dance around it (remember the 7 Veils Cake!) to pass on some of his talent! LOL! You have got to keep us posted!

OMG MissyTex - that is soooo funny!! Yea, he could send some mojo my way!! That would be awesome!!! I'll have to mention it to Mary Alice - she just loves it when he's in costume!! LOL OMG - I would pee my pants if that happened!!!

I do have a great mom and she will be going to pick up the cake with me and I told her I would like her to pick out the flavor!!