Above: Breanne Gustafson of Bella Christie and Lil’ Z’s Sweet Boutique claimed two top prizes for her decorated cake, “All You Need is Love”
All photos are by Andy Johanson Photography unless otherwise noted.
The Midwife Center is excited to announce the winners of our 11th annual fundraiser party and cake contest, Let Them Eat Cake! More than 350 guests came to the event at the Pittsburgh Opera on Saturday, April 30, 2016 to support The Midwife Center’s programs and services, and to enjoy cakes by Pittsburgh’s more innovative and creative amateur and professional bakers.
Susan Lammie; Board Member, Sponsor & Event Committee Member Kathleen Gaines; Scott Lammie, Sponsor with UPMC Health Plan
You helped us raise a RECORD $41,500, making it loud and clear that Pittsburgh wants great prenatal and GYN care for women and families.
Thank you to all of our sponsors, including Anniversary Cake sponsors UPMC Health Plan and UPMC Mercy for helping make the event a huge success. The event was featured in the Post-Gazette’s SEEN column and the Trib’s Fanfare column!
Sponsor The BeerHive kept the beer flowing along with their delicious Pittsburgh Pickle Co. pickles.
Guests got to enjoy beer and pickles from The BeerHive, wine donated by Eighty Acres Kitchen & Bar, delicious hors d’oeuvres, a special Moscow Mule cocktail by Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails (LUPEC), entertainment by Mike Melnyk of WRCT, a rockin’ silent auction and more.
Board Member Ngozi Walker-Tibbs, MPH, LCCE, IBCLC (bottom) and TMC midwife Dia Brooks, CNM, DNP (right) enjoying the party with friends.
Both amateur and professional bakers and decorators wowed guests with their incredible, rock music-themed cakes inspired by the theme I Wanna Rock! Our panel of judges rated each cake and chose the winners, and guests got to vote for their favorite cakes for our People’s Choice Awards. The judging panel included: Angelique Bamberg and Jason Roth, City Paper, Laura Zorch, eatPGH, Frank Locante, Penzeys Spices, Chef Don Winkie, Eighty Acres Kitchen & Bar, Victoria Bradley-Morris, TABLE Magazine and Margaret Welsh, Music Editor of the City Paper.
Leslie Dunn and Sponsor Verna Corey enjoying the VIP Bakers Reception.
Thank you to our bakers, decorators, sponsors, guests volunteers, judges, silent auction donors, honorary committee members and everyone else who made Let Them Eat Cake a success!
Click here for the event photos and here for the photo booth photos.
Without further ado, the winners of Let Them Eat Cake:
Professional Division
★ Best Overall Professional Decorated Cake (1st place) AND People’s Choice for Best Decorated Cake: “All You Need is Love” by Breanne Gustafson of Bella Christie and Lil’ Z’s Sweet Boutique
A journey through the music, artistry and legacy of The Beatles, a band that shaped rock and roll and music as we know today.
Breanne Gustafson is from Albany, NY and has a degree in painting from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. After college, she applied for a cake-decorating job on a whim, having no prior experience, and was hired to make fondant pieces. She eventually learned all aspects of cake decorating and has been a professional decorator for two years. She takes a unique fine art and design approach to decorating cakes.
★ Judges’ Award Professional Decorated Cake (2nd place): “The British Invasion” by Christine Sullivan of Creative Cookies and Cakes
This cake is a tribute to the early Rock-N-Roll Pioneers from across the pond.
Christine Sullivan started without any formal training and just for fun. She made a lot of cakes for family and friends celebrations as gifts. Friends began posting the pictures on Facebook and she started to get inquiries into making them for others. Christine still works full time but has become a home baker as well. Most weekends she is so busy with cakes that she can’t wait to go to work on Monday to relax.
★ Best Overall Professional Taste Cake (1st place): “The Elvis” by Aundrea Ambeliotis of Mediterra Bakehouse
★ Judges’ Award Professional Taste Cake (2nd place): “Elvis is in the Building” by Jackie Vrbanic of Petals & Pastries
Inspired by Elvis’ favorite foods. Naked banana cake, filled with chocolate ganache, peanut butter buttercream. Topped with a drizzle of ganache, caramel and sprinkled nuts.
Jackie Vrbanic started her business four years ago with the idea of working with her clients to help make their dreams come to life. And with the occasional help of artist husband George, they are able to reach even greater design levels.
★ People’s Choice for Best Taste Cake: “Girls Just Want to Have Cake” by Alix Levy
This cake is a celebration of Cyndi Lauper’s four-octave range and outrageous style. Three layers of vanilla lime all-butter pound cake are sandwiched with two layers of pop rock white chocolate mousse and one layer of Froot Loop milk creme brulee (a nod to the bowl of cereal she chows down on in her parents’ kitchen). The cake is lightly iced in Swiss meringue buttercream, wrapped in a neon joconde imprime and topped with swirls of lime and mango curd.
Alix Levy has been baking since she was old enough to turn on the oven. After years of self-taught confection and catering she worked briefly as a cake decorator at Whole Foods. When not baking, Alix is teaching as an adjunct professor of Political Science.
Amateur Division
★ Best Overall Amateur Decorated Cake (1st place): “The Inspirers of Rock n Roll” by Denise & Rory Rightmyer
A tribute to the disputed first recorded Rock songs. Rock is a combination of blues, boogie-woogie, jazz, gospel, swing and country musics.
Denise & Rory Rightmyer – This is our second year in this contest. Last year we did the Universal Monster cake. We only do cakes for friends and family. Some donated cakes have been done in the past. We are excited to be doing this again!
★ Judges’ Award Amateur Decorated Cake (2nd place): “Rainbow Connection” by Emily Murphy, Sara Fortnam & Rachel Lendyak-Peters
Early one mornin’, the yellow sub was shinin’,
I was layin’ in bed
wond’rin’ if she changed at all
or if her red wine was still red
Folks said decorating a cake sure was gonna be tough,
They never did like Mama’s homemade green onions,
Papa’s gin and (orange) juice wasn’t strong enough
And I was standin’ at the side of the road,
purple rain fallin’ on my blue suede shoes,
looking out for the white rabbit,
Lord knows I’ve paid some dues gettin’ through
Tangled up in blue.
Sara Fortnam, Emily Murphy and Rachel Lendyak-Peters are three friends and three mothers with nine kids between them – all with different birth experiences and a shared love of baking for their little ones. They were inspired by last year’s event to join forces and throw their hats into the ring once again. As part of the birthing community, Emily and Rachel work together encapsulating placentas for Blessed Arrivals.
★ Best Overall Amateur Taste Cake (1st place): “Orange Crush (R.E.M.)” by Dave Emery
I’ve made a from scratch yellow batter with fresh orange juice, zest, and mandarin oranges topped with traditional butter cream. I hope you enjoy it.
★ Judges’ Award Amateur Taste Cake (2nd place): “JAMES BROWN Sugar Pound Cake” by Theresa Bosco
It tastes nice, like sugar and spice.
So good-
so good-
I got you!
Theresa Bosco – Midwife Center Intake Specialist by day, amateur cake baker by night. I like feeding people!
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Thank you, once again, from The Midwife Center!
Photo by Shawn Maceno
