What was the backstory behind making the Death Star and the Star Destroyer cakes?
Those cakes were for this customer who's a big Star Wars fan. In fact, she recently ordered a cake that's of Han Solo frozen in carbonite. There's a lot of us here who are complete Star Wars freaks. I always thought it would be fun to do a cake of a tauntaun on its side and Luke inside him sleeping. [laughs] We've also never had the chance to do a Star Wars-themed wedding cake.
Not yet, but after fans read this interview you might be getting a few requests.
That would be sweet!
What were some of the challenges in making the Star Wars cakes?
We are really freaked out about Star Wars that we want to get everything exactly right -- down to the trench in the Death Star.
You all did an impressive job with the detailing of those cakes. The Star Destroyer cake looks more like an actual ILM model.
We bought a model to use as a reference. I completely geeked out over all the tiny details we did on that cake.
What were the cakes made of?
The Star Destroyer was chocolate. I can't remember what flavor the Death Star was.
Did it have a creamy, evil filling?
I wish!
How long did it take to make the Star Destroyer cake?
Everyone here did something on the cake. And that's pretty much how we work as a team. Some people are really great at piping, some are really good with sculpture, or with painting; so our cakes go through a cycle.
Is the Han in carbonite cake going to be life-size or a normal cake size?
It's regular size. [laughs] We'll make a flat cake that starts out white. Then we'll model his fingers, facial features and clothing details out of chocolate. If you look closely at the model of Han, you can see that the carbonite has dripped a little when it was still hot, so we'll do the same thing with frosting and let it dry and then paint the whole thing with a metallic-colored frosting.
That color frosting should come in handy when you're asked to do a full droid next.
Actually, you know we've never done a R2-D2!
That's interesting considering that the first Star Wars cake pans were of R2-D2 and C-3PO.
Oh yeah, I remember those!
When you watch the Star Wars films, and you spot a character cooking like Dexter, Aunt Beru and Yoda, do you catch yourself critiquing it as a chef?
Yeah, I always wondered what that weird lavender liquid was she was cooking with. It was funny also watching Luke try to eat what Yoda cooks on Dagobah. And of course, Jabba eating frogs.
What did you think of the rather long cooking scene with Harvey Corman playing a Julia Child-like alien chef Gormaanda in the "Star Wars Holiday TV Special?"
Hmmm, I better not comment. I really like Julia. She's one of my heroes.
Which Star Wars film is your favorite?
Star Wars movies to me are like Led Zepplin songs. My favorite completely depends on what mood I'm in. My favorite scene from the films is actually in The Phantom Menace when Qui-Gon has been turned down for the parts he needs to repair his ship, and he says to Obi-Wan, "I'm sure a solution will present itself." And that has become sort of a mantra for me. I say that all the time.
Which character did you want to see more of in the Star Wars saga?
Greedo. I could always use some more Greedo. And for the record, I think he and Han shot at the same time. I liked the rancor monster keeper. I felt bad that his monster got killed. He looked so sad.
Were you the kind of kid who would play with Star Wars toys?
My favorite was the trash compactor that came with the little foam pieces; and a close second were the inflatable lightsabers. And I loved the cantina play set. The figures had holes in their feet and you could put them in the cantina and make them fight. It was like Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots only cooler.
We have a lot of Master Replica lightsabers in the bakery and we have battles all the time. One of the guys who works for me has a triple-degree black belt in the martial arts style that uses a stick the same size as Yoda's lightsaber. We fight all the time with those lightsabers. We turn off all the lights except for the disco ball, and it looks great!
I hope you're playing the disco version of the Star Wars theme when you battle under that disco ball!
Good idea! [laughs] Actually, Mary Alice taught her pet cockatoo to whistle the "Imperial March." Another funny thing about that song, when I was working in Colorado, all us chefs had long white aprons and really tall chef hats, so we looked really imposing. We'd all hum the "Imperial March" as we walked down the hallway and people would get out of our way.
Do you try doing Jedi mind tricks at Charm City Cakes?
Only on the customers; I think that's why they keep coming back. [laughs]
To learn more about Charm City Cakes, visit their official Web site here. And be sure to catch the latest episode of "Ace of Cakes" on the Food Network.
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