An 80th birthday for Sylvia Weinstock

The Grand Dame of butter cream, Sylvia Weinstock

On behalf of those of us in the industry and brides everywhere, I want to take a moment to wish the New York’s Cake Diva, Queen of Cakes, Grand Dame of butter cream designs, a very Happy Birthday. Sylvia Weinstock is celebrating her 80th birthday today and if you ever met Sylvia you know her spirit, youthful exuberance and work ethic are far younger than her actual years. In other words, she runs circles around us all.

What started as a wedding cake for her daughter’s friend, her cake was seen by NYC society caterer Donald Bruce White and as they say, the rest is history. While Sylvia has a star-studded clientele that includes the likes of Star Jones, Donald Trump, Michael Douglas & Katherine Zeta-Jones, Whitney Houston, Oprah Winfrey, Ted Turner and Mariah Carey, she makes amazing confectionary delights for couples worldwide.

All Sylvia’s cakes are custom designed and created according to the specifications of her clients. Not only do the cakes look beautiful, they taste delicious, because only the best available ingredients are used. Working with couples to pick their cake design and filling, Sylvia believes it’s acceptable to mix layers creating ‘surprise flavors’, not only for the guests but their guests. So you can have one layer chocolate and the other a completely different (but complimentary) flavor. Taking an element from the brides gown or veil are often incorporated in the cake design adding to the beautiful personal touch.

Her most recent book Sweet Celebrations contains recipes, designs, techniques, tips and illustrations of her cakes, with instructions for creating some fairly simple cakes that the reader can try at home. This is a great book to give to your favorite DIY bride, or anyone that just wants to make a cake that is a feast for the eyes and great tasting. It is one of my favorite coffee table books and should be a book you have on your shelf.

Sylvia is often seen at bridal showcases, handing out cake often to stunned brides. Let’s face it, Sylvia is a rock-star in the wedding industry and how often do stars ‘mingle’ with their fans. In her case, every chance possible and for that we are all grateful. She was seen last year at a wedding professional event dancing up a storm and because she is so, well 'normal' it's just another reason we love her.

So happy birthday dear Sylvia, you are truly the Leonardo da Vinci of the cake world and we are so grateful to you. Thank you for your passion about weddings. Thank you for setting the standard so many strive to achieve. Thank you for just being you. May you have many, many more.

For more information about Sylvia take a look at her website.