Let imaginations fly, NO, it is not about rock ‘n’ roll or gravelly stones: Competitors at this year’s Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show on Oct. 1-2 in Tulsa, OK, will have free reign to build the most fantastical wedding cake without real theme restraint. Whatever inspiration is chosen the contestant will be on notice that the interpretation must be elegant, with all the bells and whistles technically and be applicable to a modern wedding cake setup. Contestants will have to show what the initial inspiration was and how it led to the final construction. Cake art without constraint!
Imagine a sea of beautifully dressed tables that match spectacular wedding cakes. You will find that here as well as a massive public audience with numbers around 82,000.
For all of those who are fans or are devoted to cake and sugar art, their dreams come true. From dawn till dark the air is charged with a sense of magical excitement. The event inspires, educates and creates potential artists for the future.
The bridal market generates $32 billion dollars every year there is no stopping brides they will have their cake and eat it too. This is where they come to find inspiration.
A show such as this is appealing to the entire community even male members of the family are curious and after all they eventually must pay! A show such as this offers the network unique opportunities to partner with advertisers involved in the market, such as the cruise lines, honeymoon destinations, hotels and function rooms to name a few.
We welcome our guests to a fabulicious event and may the sugar god grant magic wishes for fabulous entries for the Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show this year.
The OKLAHOMA STATE SUGAR ART SHOW where Kerry Vincent’s role as leader, mentor and show producer sets the standard for the most ambitious work in the United States and is recognized throughout the world. Cake aficionados travel thousands of miles to be a part of this exciting iconic exhibition. It would be fair to say that competitors credit success at this event to be a key that opens doors to television possibilities, presenting, teaching and other exciting avenues that involve the sugar arts.
HIGHLIGHTS FOR THIS YEAR'S SHOW:
EASY BAKE OVEN launches their new children’s oven. This national launch is in response to the change from heated to cool bulbs. Children will have an opportunity to play with the ovens and be shown how to cook in them with live hands on team coming in from Easy Bake. Children will also be able win Easy Bake Ovens when they compete in Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show.
DAILY SHOW DEMONSTRATIONS for 2011
Conducted by CELEBRITY EDIBLE ART STARS DARCI L. ROCHAU and KAREN PORTALEO
DARCI L. ROCHAU
You may not have heard of Darci Rochau, but believe me she is a treasure who needed to surface. She is an extremely talented artist who has a ton to share. I have been watching her work for some time. She will surprise you with her attention to detail, expertise, artistic style, and design work. She has created some of the most technically pleasing work that I have seen on FNTV Challenge -- and she has won!
Born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Darci studied at New York’s highly regarded Culinary Institute of America from which she earned a degree in baking and pastry arts. Directly after school, she lived in Las Vegas, Nevada and worked in pastries at Le Cirque and Coyote Café, and she became the first woman ever to work in the kitchen of the world-renowned Picasso Restaurant at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino. After returning to New Mexico, Darci joined the Hyatt Corporation, becoming the head pastry chef at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa. In her current position, Darci is responsible for overseeing all pastry operations at the resort, including banquets, fine dining and weddings. She describes her creations as “simplistic, yet clean and elegant.” Simple ingredients appeal to her and she believes that the best results are created from few ingredients combined to make flavorful things. Darci’s recent focus is in chocolate creation and the challenge it poses in her search for perfection. She has either won or placed second at the “Chocolate Fantasy” charity event in Albuquerque for the past four years. She also recently won the 2011 Food Network episode “Challenge: Wild West Chocolate.” Her future plans include continuing in her position with the Hyatt Corporation while expanding her experience through national competition in chocolate showpieces.
RECOGNITION and AWARDS
Winner of the 2011 “Food Network Challenge:” Old West Chocolate.
Featured in August 2011 and July 2007 editions of “Albuquerque the Magazine.”
First place (2011,2002), second place (2007-2009) and People’s Choice award (2009) in the annual New Mexico charity event “Chocolate Fantasy.”
Featured in July and August 2011 edition “Local Flavor.”
Received “Best Dessert" award in La Cocinita (2002).
Recognized for pastry creations and desserts in the Albuquerque Journal newspaper 11/02, 2/02 & 4/02; Weekly Alibi newspaper 2/02, 4/02 & 7/02; La Cocinita Magazine 12/01, 2/02, 5/02, 8/02 &12/02.
Member of the pastry team that won the Sarazin Cup for its pastry display in the Nov. 2000 New York Food Show student competition.
Assisted Master Pastry Chef Frank Vollkommer in the 1999 London Culinary Olympics.
KAREN PORTALEO
Make no mistake about the incredible talent of KAREN PORTALEO (who will be assisted by JOSHUA JOHN RUSSELL). I predict Karen will catapult into the world of sugar greats. She does not pretend to bake, she is all about decorating and finishing, and oh what a finish it is! In one word spectacular. Karen has a BFA from Atlanta’s College of Fine Art, she has designed in clay for the Ferrin Gallery, made cakes for Elton John and The Real Housewives of Atlanta (show) and worked as a prop and set designer for print advertisements – it wasn’t such a stretch to move into sugar art and so far she is one of the most impressive new faces on the horizon and her recent work on Food Network Challenge is, in a single word, stunning.
PUBLIC ADMISSION
Presentations and Demonstrations are free to all.
The price of admission to this icon event at $10 is minimal – all visitors can access the show, the exhibition and world-class demonstrations for this tiny cost.
OKLAHOMA STATE SUGAR ART SHOW 2011
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Tulsa State Fair – LOWER Level -- QUIKTRIP BUILDING
Friday, September 30, 2011
4:00 - 8:30 p.m. – Registration & Cake Setup
Saturday, October 1, 2011
7:30 – 10:00 a.m. – Registration & Cake Setup
10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. to late: WHOO HOO -- THE NEW EASY-BAKE OVEN HANDS-ON! Experience for kids and parents.
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m. - Show opens to the public
10:30 a.m. - Judging begins
~ CAKE STARS & CHOCOLATIERS EXTRAORDINAIRE ~
10:00 - 11:30 a.m. - Welcome FNTV Challenge winner, wedding cake designer and special celebrity sugar artist KAREN PORTELAO, HIGHLAND BAKERY, ATLANTA, GA, assisted by the ever-popular JOSHUA JOHN RUSSELL using FONDX
Let's start and see how far we get
Carving; creating something different with cake
Sculpting with modeling chocolate for upper body
Preparation is the key to planning and drawing out what you will make, knowing in advance the step-by-step process
11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. – Welcome award winning FNTV Challenge winner and Chocolatier DARCI ROCHAU, HYATT TAMAYA RESORT, ALBUQUERQUE NM, USING GUITTARD CHOCOLATE assisted by her very charming husband GREGORY ROCHAU
Learn amazing applications and prepare to be whisked into a chocolaty fantasyland learning how to:
Come up with a design
Creating inexpensive molds
Tempering chocolate (explanation from a scientific viewpoint)
Pouring and casting all of the pieces
1:30 - 3:00 p.m. GINGER PEOPLE -- timed competition. Contestants will need to arrive 30 minutes in advance to set up. SPONSORED BY CHOCOPAN, BAKERYCRAFTS ENJAY & PAPER ORCHIDS
3:30 - 5:00 p.m.- Special Celebrity sugar artist wedding cake designer KAREN PORTELAO HIGHLAND BAKERY ATLANTA GA assisted by the ever-popular JOSHUA JOHN RUSSELL using FONDX
Let’s dress her up!
Costuming in fondant
Detailed sculpting of the face
Starting the mask
Now you’re getting the idea!
5:15 - 6:45 p.m. – Welcome award winning FNTV Challenge winner and Chocolatier DARCI ROCHAU, HYATT TAMAY RESORT, ALBUQUERQUE NM, USING GUITTARD CHOCOLATE & FONDX assisted by her very charming husband GREGORY ROCHAU
Getting the dirty work out of the way
Constructing and creating important elements to complete the theme
Unmolding and refining the pieces
Working with pastillage
Carving the chocolate
Sunday, October 2, 2011
8:00 a.m. - Entrants requesting that their cake be photographed MUST be present at this time to escort the entry to the photographic studio
10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. WHOO HOO -- THE NEW EASY-BAKE OVEN HANDS ON! Experience for kids and parents
10:00 a.m. - Show opens to the public
10:00 - 11:30 a.m. - Welcome back KAREN PORTELAO Wedding Cake Designer, HIGHLAND BAKERY ATLANTA GA assisted by the ever-popular JOSHUA JOHN RUSSELL using FONDX
Ooh la la, adding couture details
Fine costume detailing
Piping, lace trim
Powdered wig elaboration 17th century power girl!
11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. – Welcome back FNTV Challenge winner and Chocolatier DARCI ROCHAU, HYATT TAMAYA RESORT, ALBUQUERQUE NM, USING GUITTARD CHOCOLATE & FONDX assisted by her very charming husband GREGORY ROCHAU
Setting the scene!
Where do you put it?
It’s beginning to take shape!
Making flowers/organic structures
Construction & Airbrushing techniques
1:30 - 3:00 p.m. - Welcome back KAREN PORTELAO FNTV celebrity wedding cake designer, HIGHLAND BAKERY, ATLANTA GA, assisted by the ever popular JOSHUA JOHN RUSSELL using FONDX
Finishing touches
Hand painting
Airbrushing adding lustrous highlights
Eh voilà! She is complete!
3:15 - 4:45p:m - More from FNTV Challenge winner and Chocolatier DARCI ROCHAU, HYATT TAMAYA RESORT, ALBUQUERQUE NM, USING GUITTARD CHOCOLATE & FONDX assisted by her very charming husband GREGORY ROCHAU
Watch the magic as Darci makes it happen the design takes shape
Bringing the elements together and adding fine details
Finishing touches
The big picture!
5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. + or - Awards Ceremony
7:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. approximately. Competitors may only remove cakes after the Awards Ceremony has ended.
** Program may be subject to change **
Monday & Tuesday October 3 and 4, 2011
MARQUISE DE POMPADOUR
JOIN THE CLASS AND CREATE YOUR OWN REGENCY BUST UNDER THE TUTELAGE & DIRECTION OF KAREN PORTELAO
THE THEME FOR 2012 WILL BE ANNOUNCED AT THE AWARDS CEREMONY
