Taking place this weekend at the Miami Airport Convention Center, the SoFlo Cake & Candy Expo will see more than 100 pastry chefs battle in a South Beach-themed cake competition.
Cake bakers will compete in three themed categories at the event: Art Deco, Mermaid Lagoon, and the Flora and Fauna of Florida. The competition is being referred to as Miami-style version of famous baking competitions like Cupcake Wars.
Creativity is key, says SoFlo Cake & Candy Expo co-founder Natasha O’Connor. “You just see all the creativity. You walk up to the cake and you’re like is that really cake? Is that really sugar? You’re floored by how beautiful the cakes are,” she says.
Several cash prizes will awarded for the top finishers in each category.
In addition to cake, candy is also a focus of the expo. More than 80 material-inclusive classes in topics like chocolate truffles and sugar flowers will be taught by international instructors.
The SoFlo Cake & Candy Expo’s first year in 2015 brought in 2,000 people. This year, the third, more than 4,500 people are expected to attend.
“Our goal is to make it the number one cake and candy expo in the United States and I think we’re on the right track,” says O’Connor. “I think we’re getting there.”