First Issue of Cake Central Magazine, February 2012

Volume 3 Issue 1
Crystal Poinsettia Cake
by Alan Tetreault featuring
Crystal Poinsettia’s and
GSA Stencils #25967.
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Cakes Across America Florida
Cakes Across America
Florida
There are countless perks to living in the Sunshine State.
But apart from its many famous theme parks, warm beaches, and world class orange juice, Florida has yet another
thing to brag about: its vibrant cake scene. Maybe it’s all
that extra vitamin D, but we found three talented Floridian
bakeries that rank among the top shops in the nation.
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49
Cakes Across America Florida
The Cake Zone
You are traveling through fondant and flours
to another dimension of sugar art. You are
about to enter… The Cake Zone. With a talented staff headed by Alla Levin, this Tampa
Bay Area pastry shop certainly has what it
takes to succeed in the universe of cake. Alla’s
competitive spirit and passion for her business are evident in the work she does and the
ambitious goals she has set for her company.
“Our goal is to be the most well known, and
of course busiest, cake design studio in southwest Florida.” With a successful business and
numerous awards under her belt, Alla understands the price of hard work and passion for
sugar art. Thanks to the guidance of her father,
an amateur pastry chef and talented baker,
Alla was exposed to the world of fondant
and sugar flowers as a young girl. “He’d often
let me lick the spoon or help him sculpt a
decorative topper for a holiday cake. As a kid,
I knew more about sugar flowers, fondant,
marzipan, chocolates, and cake batter than
most bakery owners. Looking back now, I realize how precious those times were,” says Alla.
While becoming a pastry chef wasn’t always
a part of Alla’s life plan, she always possessed
a love for design. Still, while working as an
accessory designer in New York, Alla felt that
something was missing in her life. It was at this
time that her father gave her some wise advice
that changed the course of her career forever.
He said to her, “Bake a cake, Alla. You will feel
better. Put all of your heart into it. Then sit
back and relax. Taste what you have created.”
And this is exactly what she did. So on that
fateful day in 2001, The Cake Zone was born.
The diversity of The Cake Zone’s designs is
reflected by their motto, “If you can dream it,
we can make it.” With this mentality, Alla and
the rest of the team are practically begging for
a good challenge. “We have lots of sleepless
nights figuring out how we are actually going
to accomplish it. But every special occasion or
celebration deserves an extra special cake, and
we have never had a request we couldn’t fulfill.” Alla recalls some of her favorite cakes: “The
upside down, gravity defying wedding cake
with the ‘Dali’ inspired decorations; the slot
machine cake with working, flashing lights
and edible coins; Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs, with hand sculpted, edible dwarfs;
the wine barrel with grapes and wine bottle
cake (marzipan grapes and chocolate sculpted
wine bottle), and the all-lace wedding cake.”
The distinct creations of The Cake Zone are,
in part, due to the wide array of talents and
personalities that make up the staff. “Each
person on our team brings a unique talent
to the group. One is strong on creating new
recipes and baking, another is extremely
talented in creating support systems, lighting
effects, and display pieces, another brings
meticulous detail to creating flowers and
small sculpted figurines,” says Alla. “And the
best part is that we are all friends and love
working together to create amazing cakes
and edible decorations that not only look
spectacular, but taste spectacular as well!”
“We have lots of
sleepless nights
figuring out how we
are actually going to
accomplish it. But
every special occasion
or celebration deserves
an extra special cake,
and we have never had
a request we couldn’t
fulfill.”
If there is one thing that keeps the shop going
strong, it’s The Cake Zone’s seemingly limitless aspirations. Someday the team hopes to
win $10,000 on a cake television show and
gain more recognition on the national level.
But Alla makes it clear that the happiness of
her staff and clients is the “ultimate goal” for
the shop. “When you look at it that way, we
meet our goals just about every day.” Alla
and The Cake Zone certainly know how to
run a business as well as live happy, fulfilling
lives. That being said, it’s no surprise that as
a final word, Alla made sure to remind us
how important it is to live in the moment.
Of course, she gave it her own sugary twist,
stating, “Life is short – eat dessert first!”
Like any business, the physical location of The
Cake Zone has a huge effect on both the financial and creative direction of the company.
Luckily, Western Florida is host to thousands
of destination weddings every year, many of
which are within a 50 mile radius of the shop
itself. Not surprisingly, The Cake Zone bakes
plenty of ocean-themed cakes, but they also
create just as many traditional cakes for weddings held in historical properties located
in the area. Consequently, The Cake Zone’s
portfolio includes a diverse array of cake designs including anything from “realistic lobster
and crab groom’s cakes” to “more elegant,
glamorous cakes that have lace, jewels, and
embossing, with gold and silver details.”
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