So...i'm delivering a wedding cake today. The wedding is at a Yacht club and the cake is a Paisley shaped cake with sea shells. I get the cake all set up and i'm putting the last of the shells on the cake. The chef from the club comes up to ask me if there are any special details he needs to know when cutting the cake. I thought that was nice of him to ask. So i'm telling him the details. I showed him the area to the back where the bride and groom can cut the cake. Now...here is the kicker.....he picks up one of the shells that I made from gumpaste and proceeds to stick it into the fondant to mark where the bride and groom are to cut. It was one of those slow motion moments where you really can't believe what you are seeing. He left the shell sticking out of the side of the cake. Now this wasn't a small shell he picked up. He picked up the largest scallop shell I had made and stuck it in sideways.....like some ninja practicing his throwing skills.

I looked at him like he had grown three heads and tried to resist the urge to skewer him with the remaining shells. (is there such a thing as death by gumpaste seashells??) I asked him what he was doing. He said, "i'm marking where they need to cut". I"m thinking to myself at this point...I wonder if the bride would be upset to see blood on the cake cutting knife.
I then asked him, "Can you NOT remember where i'm pointing to?". I think it finally dawns on him that he has pissed me off and he says, "no one sees the back anyway"....(the cake cutting knife is so close to my hand..so close.) I told him, "THE BRIDE AND GROOM WILL SEE THE BACK, AND SO WILL I...AND I HAVE NOT TAKEN PICTURES YET!!" Then he says, "I didn't realize that the shells were edible until I stuck it in and felt it bend a bit"...Ok..I really, really want to hurt this man. I then asked him, "so you would stick something in my cake that was not edible?" He tiptoed back to his kitchen, I took my pictures and left.

I'm still in shock that someone would do that. All the trouble you take to make sure your fondant is smooth and that there are no marks and no dents in it, then some moron comes over and deliberately skewers my beautiful cake with one of my seashells. I was able to cover up the dent with a seashell, so no one could tell. I should have taken a picture of the shell sticking out of the cake. I was just so offended my first reaction was to get it out as fast as I could.

Here is a picture of the cake.....minus the ninja shell!!

Sorry so long, but I needed to vent!!

Wow, what an awesome cake! I'm sorry this happened to you. I am impressed that you didn't make the 6 O'Clock news....it would have been near impossible for me to hold my tongue (or my violent tendencies). Bravo to you!

beautiful cake , i think i would have stabed him with the seashell

There should have been a man overboard!
You made a beautiful cake; and showed great restraint.

Some people!!!
You cake was beautiful!
Jen...

Nice job girl! Glad you showed restraint. Would not have wanted to come bail you out of jail tonight ..... Especially since you work for the local law enforcement here!

Oh, I definitely would have made the 6ol'clock news!! "Death By Seashell"..

And the majority of the guests were law enforcement. I'm sure it would have been justified!! The nerve....

your cake is awesomely gorgeous!! maybe he was a tad bit jealous cuz you can produce such a gorgeous piece of art and all he does is cook. maybe instead of a chef he had dreams of being a cake artist! love your cake! cuz what he did was crazy disrespectful. it would be like you going into his kitchen and adding seasoning to something he made.

First, let me say that your cake is just stunning. The blood would have ruined the whole ambiance, so I'm glad you held back. My question is, how did you manage to not ring his neck?!

This person calls himself a "chef", and at a yacht club, no less?! Management would definitely be getting a nasty letter from me.

I'm so sorry he did that. You are a better person than I. I would have completely lost my composure.

GIRL!!! that cake is AMAZING!!!

I would have bailed you out - happily, so long as you did serious physical harm to that man!! I so would have stabbed him with cake knife and pushed him in the river.

What the HE** was he thinking even touching anything that you were using/working on!!

GRRRR - I'm angry for you!

Seriously - I am glad that you didn't hurt him - he did deserve it though!

Thanks Janel...glad you have my back.

Always here for ya!! i finished my Curious George cake and just posted pictures.....

Your cake is gorgeous how would he like it if your stuck a icing tip or two out of his main corse???? He is not a professional even if he calls himself one.

What a stunning cake!!! sorry you had to deal with that moron...

I would have been a great person to have on the jury had you actually made the 6 o'clock news.

Beautiful cake!

what a beautiful and gorgeous cake! if you stabbed him with a cake knife, i'm pretty sure you could have handled the mess and the bride will never know LOL

I wanted to tell you that I think your cake is just exquisite and I am so sorry that this unbelievable thing happened to you, but I must say, that not only are you incredibly talented with your cake decorating words, you really know how to put words together to paint a very vivid picture of what occured. I know that what occured was not in the remotely least bit funny, but your description of what transpired with the thought of blood on the cake, the knife in your hand, the chef tiptoeing back to the kitchen... you are really know how to write well! I just still can't even believe that he did that!!

Yeah people have some nerve. Good job on restraining yourself. He can't call himself a professional because I GUARANTEE he did not wash his hands before touching your cake. Who knows where they were before he walked in to disrespectfully put his hands on your masterpiece. I tell you, if it was me, he'd be missing a whole lot more than a hand for pulling that mess. Very beautiful cake!

Serenatea, The cake is awesome (I say again!)...can I ask why you prefer to make your shells from gumpaste, rather than fondant or chocolate? Just curious...wouldn't they be more edible that way? I know that technically you CAN eat gumpaste but....

Cakedesigner...I prefer to make them out of gumpaste because, to me, they look more real. If you use white chocolate, it tends to have an ivory color and does not blend with the fondant as well. Plus they don't melt as easy as chocolate.....It's just a preference. I have done them both ways, but I love the look of gumpaste.

Well, they ARE very lovely. I agree about the color of the "chocolate" ones (I use quotes because white chocolate isn't really chocolate, anyway). I guess when it's a wedding cake, the guests aren't really clamoring to eat the shells, like they would if it were a smaller, birthday-type cake.

Wow and Jeesh!!! Wow for the cake and the wonderful seashells. It looks so real!!!! well done. And then Jeesh for the idiot of a chef. How would he feel if you re-arrange his gourmet starter or main meal???? The cheek!

That cake is AMAZING ! Just BEAUTIFUL!
Sorry about the chef,Shame on him Im sure he knows better !

I'm surprised he did that seeing as he was the head chef (or did I read that wrong?) Maybe he doesn't do cakes. People who don't do cakes really don't get it that our creations are our babies. It was a thoughtless moment a la my moment in grade school when I wrapped my teachers Christmas present in Kleenex and bandaids and then realized maybe that wasn't such a good idea Especially when one of my classmates yelled, She used TOILET PAPER! Ah well... live and learn.

Mel (it REALLY was kleenex!) Mc.

I'm still cracking up over your story, I loved it. I agree, you should have gone into his kitchen and re-seasoned some of his dishes!! I'm picturing ninja blocking moves or scenes from movies to stop the hand reaching to the cake.... hehehe 'hiiiiiyaaahhh'

Your cake is gorgeous and you showed great restraint and professionalism.

The 'chef' seems to have had a momentary lapse of sanity or judgement, but maybe, just maybe, he learned something. I wouldn't write any letters or pursue anything, because you may have to work with this man again in the future. You handled yourself very well and he'll hopefully remember that.

your cake is beautiful!! that would have made me very ill, as well!!

Your restraint in not killing this man was remarkable! LOL
Your cake is beautiful!