I just want to start by saying, I really couldn’t put this book down! I bought the book, Ace of Cakes: Inside the World of Charm City Cakes, thinking it was an Ace of Cakes cookbook, but it’s not. This book is a LoveFeast kinda book! I felt like I was sitting at the table with the gang at Charm City Cakes and hearing their stories and getting a glimpse into what drives each one of them to do what they do! Each person at Charm City Cakes is featured in this book. They share their backgrounds and the events that lead them to Charm City Cakes. They also share what they’re passionate about. Most of them have some kind of creative background that they have brought to cake shop. I love the page that lists all the bands the Charm City Crew are members of!
Yesterday I shared how Baltimore really is a quirky and creative city. Duff and his brother capture this in the book! They break down why Baltimore was the perfect stage for launching this dream!
They show picture after picture of the creative process of building a Charm City cake! Looking at their set up, I really felt like I was getting a glimpse into an art studio! Fun Fact: The building that they chose for Charm City Cakes used to be a funky little art gallery!
This book also gives you the Duff Goldman story from childhood to now. It introduces the people that have inspired him (his momma for one!) and where his art began to take route. He has done performance art, with Fluid Movement as well as graffiti. I think the thing I realized from his story, is that every event in his life, really lead up to him running Charm City Cakes! It never ceases to amaze me, that if we follow our passions and let that be the goal we run to, somehow all of our life experiences lead up to the point!
Duff and his brother, Willie (who saw the makings of a TV show and now produces it!) include the “behind the scenes” people that helped launch Ace of Cakes and the crew that keeps it going. There are so many amazing people involved to giving us a half hour glimpse into cake making!
I love the chapter about “Why Cakes Suck!” Duff (obviously) doesn’t think cake sucks, but as an artist choosing a medium to work with, well this is not a predictable medium! I’ve made a few wedding cakes in my day, but never (except for the time I tried to recreate a crumbling cake into a tee-pee cake) have I attempted to sculpt and shape the cake! Hello! Recipe for disaster in my opinion! But, Duff has learned to wield knives, air guns, spatulas and chainsaws (I’d guess) with the skill of a master! His crew make it look easy and fun! Without a doubt, you know these guys love what they are doing and appreciate the fact they all have jobs that bring them joy! This comes through the book with screaming clarity!
It’s beautiful to look at. Inspiring to read. Raw in the transparency of sharing who they are. It’s personal. It’s quirky. It’s adventurous and creative! It really captured the essence of the city that has embraced Charm City Cakes and gives a great snapshot of what makes Charm City Cakes so successful!
Now to the fun stuff! We are going to GiftAway a signed copy of Ace of Cakes; Inside the World of Charm City Cakes, from the signing event at Atomic Books. In order to get two chances to win you need to do two things.
1. Leave a comment here at this site, telling what kind of cake you would have Duff and his crew create for you if given the chance!
2. For a second chance to win this book, copy the link to this post and share it on your Facebook wall. But, remember to leave a link here at our site to your wall, so we can verify you’ve done it! (We won’t go and hunt it down! So, please remember to let us know here that you have done this!)
We will be drawing a winner using RANDOM.ORG.
The contest starts now and will end on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 9:00p.m.
Oh cool ladies!! I would love it if they could create mine and Ned’s wedding cake in the future. Since we did fall in love less than a mile away from their shop! I think it would be composed of some guinness stuff, paris things, stuff around baltimore, and things about halloween (our favorite holiday!)
I alwys wanted a cake shped like a foot. Don’t know why! I don’t have a foot fetish (at least i don’ think), but i would love to eat cake feet
http://www.facebook.com/#/kristyloveallen?ref=profile
I posted this as my last status update
Oh wow, Duff doing a cake for me!! Now that would be unimaginable but if the chance were to occur…I guess it would have to be bear themed. A big ole snarling grizzly or perhaps a soft fuzzy polar cub but definitely BEAR!
oh and here is the requested link, hope I have done it correctly. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/SleepingBear?ref=profile
ohhh, i have always wanted a whimsical cake just for myself. lots of shimmer, bright colors, looks like it came out of a dream, soft-not harsh. “spirit” in the form of a cake
and here is my fb. also updated on twitter
http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/marissa.ackerman?ref=nf
I would have them make a replica of the Starship Enterprise for my husband.
Here’s my facebook link
http://www.facebook.com/#/skmahannah?ref=nf
I would love for them to make a Peanuts cake for my mom! She would love it!
A replica of where my wife and I first kissed.
Here’s my
facebook
linkhttp://www.facebook.com/#/tony.astorga?ref=profile
Thanks so much for featuring this book (and thanks to my fave gal Marissa for sharing!) I would D-I-E to have this talented crew make the cake for my son’s first birthday in June…I have even dreamt about it. It would incorporate everything we miss about MD, being that is where we are from, but we live in Chicago.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=1446663577#/profile.php?ref=profile&id=1446663577
Love Ace of Cakes!
My daughter and I are big fans of Ace of Cakes. We both have March birthdays and we are Irish (and I was born on St. Pat’s day) so I would love for Duff to make us a celtic cross birthday cake
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=name&id=1387632527
Love Feast – you inspire me to enjoy life more and to stop and enjoy the moments with family and friends around the dinner table.
I would love for Ace of Cakes to make me a cake in the shape of a Cruise Ship! The different decks could be different kinds of cake like carrott, italian, chocolate and so on. Yum, it is making me hungry! Why a cruise ship? Because I think about people going on their vacation and all the journeys and adventures they have & making memories. That brings such joy to me!
http://www.facebook.com/cyndy.nordyke
I would probably ask for a Flamingo Birthday Cake for my friends birthday because her birthday is 2 days before Christmas, so it gets lost sometime.
http://www.facebook.com/proverbs31momto5?ref=profile
I posted a link on my Facebook page too!
How very cool and I so want to learn about cake decorating! Even looking at the pictures inspires. Would love to win this book. Off to FB you!
Just announced the book giveaway on my FB page but something is screwing up and I can’t get from Home to Profile! You do believe me, right? I’ll link here when it works.
I loved the Ace of Cakes TV show, how cool that there is a book too.
I’d have the team create my blog logo (spoon holding a globe) I think as I think that really sums my food habits up – slowly eating my way around the worlds cuisines one spoonful at a time
I’m off to Facebook this too.
Here’s the Facebook link:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=name&id=100000438158890
I would love for Duff to design a cake for my parents 50th wedding anniversary on Dec 26th! They’ve travelled around the world so would love to see something with all the places they’ve gone around the globe
I posted my link to my profile where I’ve added your page-hope I win!
http://www.facebook.com/debbiekroll?ref=profile
I think that I would really like to see a border collie cake. Something that did justice to how crazy active and smart they are. Don’t know how I would design it, but would just like to see how they would do it.
Tough question…what kind of cake would i have them make? It would have to be over-the-top…but I am thinking it would be for my 10 yr anniversary in January. I intend to make it myself – a cake to represent all of the travels i have had with my husband. Maybe a map print, with some still life scenes from many places? The colosseum, the eiffel tower, some animals from our safari in kenya, buddhas from thailand – that type of thing? I feel sure they would do a much better job of it than I will! Thanks so much for the chance to win the book – i am a huge fan of Duff and Co.!
Wow! Love that show! Saw Eric walking a dog once
in Hampden. I’d live a bizarre cake- a bride with long, brunette tresses on fire. This would be for my
prayer group. We are praying for the Bride of Christ( the believers in Christ ) to be consumed with
the fire of the Holy Spirit. A dove in the flames coming off of the back of the bride would be cool, too. Perhaps she could be poised looking upwards out of
a fancy window looking for her Bridegroom as she stands upon a representation of the earth.
Shalom!
Hmmmm. If Duff and his team created a cake for me that would definitely be a dream! …and my dream cake would be a snowscape! Can you imagine a winter wonderland forest cake?
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1253967085&ref=profile#/profile.php?ref=profile&id=1253967085
Awesome Give Away! I would provide a framed Israeli Flag as the Base for a Cake of The Wailing Wall in Jerusalem! The frame is about 3′ x 4′ and under glass is the Israeli Flag. It would be donated to the Holocaust Museum in Baltimore if I won… Thanks for the opportunity to participate!
Okay, I have to admit I am a bit of a stalker! Whenever my hon and I venture into Hampden (about every other week to visit friends) we take the cruise by Charm City Cakes just to see if the lights are on or if anyone is coming out to deliver a cake! We did see Kathleen once but didn’t want to out ourselves as stalkers…anyway, I would want a big pink flamingo for my hon who just loves the things and had to settle for viewing the poor pink plastic things on the radiator in the den because his loving wife just can’t bring herself to plant them in the front (or back) yard…cruel I know, but I know he would bust into his famous hearty laugh for a Duff inspired flamingo cake!!
Thank you guys for all the wonderfully creative cake ideas for Duff and his gang!
If only we could give a cake away…maybe next year! For, now, the contest is closed and we will announce the winner tomorrow!
Hope your dreams are full of sweet things!
~Kristin and Chris Ann