This is the next in our series of educators featured in our Bake Twentyfive issue. Each weekday, we will spotlight a new instructor or educator in the fields of baking, pastry, and chocolate.
Nicholas Lodge created his first cake at the age of 10, a heart-shaped cake for his parents’ anniversary. Eight years later, Lodge published his first book on the art of cake decorating. Today, he is the owner of the International School of Sugar and Confectionary Arts in Atlanta, and he has traveled to 26 different countries teaching courses in cake decorating and sugar arts. He teaches in The French Pastry School’s L’Art du Gâteau – The Professional Cake Decorating and Baking Program.
After completing high school, Lodge worked in a bakery as a cake decorator to gain practical experience and commercial speed. He was then offered a position at The National Bakery School of England, located in London where he completed a two-year course in cake decorating and design.
Lodge then became principal wedding cake designer at Woodnutts, located in Brighton, one of England’s top sugar art schools. There he made cakes for many of the large London hotels including Claridges, The Ritz-Carlton and the Savoy.
At the age of 21, Lodge became the tutorial manager at Mary Ford’s School in Bournemouth. During this time, he was commissioned to do work for England’s Royal Family and other celebrities. This included one of the official wedding cakes for the wedding of Lady Diana and Prince Charles. Lodge later reproduced this Royal wedding cake in Japan for the visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales, during their official visit in Tokyo. Nicholas was also commissioned to create a cake for the Queen Mother’s 80th birthday and the Christening cake for Prince Harry.
In 2001, Lodge was voted into the International Cake Exploration Societe Hall of Fame, becoming the youngest person to achieve this honor. In 2004, Lodge accepted the first of many invitations to serve as a Food Network judge.