Wednesday, January 19, 2011
The Next Great Baker: Pamela Ahn
Pamela Ahn
If you've been watching The Next Great Baker with Buddy Valastro then you know Pamela Ahn. She was one of the stars of Buddy Valstro's famed show where ten contestant compete to be The Next Great Baker. If they beat out their other fellow bakers they get to win a cash prize of $50,000 and a chance to work next to Buddy at his famous Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, New Jersey.
*(Photo taken from the next great baker fackebook page)
Pamela Ahn is located in the Washington, DC area and is the owner of PamCakes. We had a chance to interview Pamela recently and we would like to thank her for her time! Check out what Pamela and I talked about.........
How did you hear about the next great baker show?
My friend saw the link online & sent me the link & told me I should apply. I filled out the online application not thinking anything was going to come out of it & the rest of history! :)
Everyone wants to know how it was to work with the other bakers?
I LOVE working with other bakers. I bake/decorate in my own home, so I really don't get the chance to share my passion of baking/decorating with amazing people in the industry. It was amazing to fuel each other's creativity. I loved Greggy's fun energy, Brian good attitude, Dana was an amazing teacher to me & so was Buddy, Mauro, & Joey! Kendra & Johanna were just as sweet as ever. Even Mary is just a sweet, beautiful person too! I miss that - working with other cake artists side by side. There's definitely a different energy with that & I'm a people's person so I really miss it!
Did you get to spend any time with Buddy and learn new skills?
Buddy is an amazing guy. He is soooo generous just like he is on his Cake Boss show. He even offered to give me & my husband an off screen tour of the bakery. I am forever thankful for him believing in me and giving me the opportunity to compete on his show, meet his amazing family, & tour his bakery!
Check out the pictures here: http://pamcakediva.com/?p=1189
Is there a moment from the show that really stands out to you?
My favorite part was when I made the baby shower cupcakes. Buddy's face was hilarious. He was tickled to death with how cute they were & was impressed that they were cute and tasted amazing! And him & Joey joked at who was going eat the baby butt! ;) It was soooo much fun filming with them & the fun energy behind the scenes were hilarious! I wish the audience gets to see some of the hilarious out-takes from the show!
Here's that red velvet recipe that Buddy adored: http://pamcakediva.com/?p=1045
Has being on the show helped your business gain more exposure?
Of course! Since I got on the show for blogging about my cake creations, my blog has really gained a lot of exposure. I'm a little different from the other 9 contestants because I don't do this full-time and I'm in it more to share my recipes, baking tips, and decorating ideas with people like me.
If there was something you could do over on the show what would it be?
Nothing? I try to be a honest person, so some time I do end up with my foot in my mouth, but at the end of the day that's me! I make mistakes, but I learn from them. So I really don't have regrets in life, all the good/bad/ugly just end up being life lessons for me. And I can only try to be a better person/baker/decorator going forward, that's all.
What type of cakes are your favorite to decorate? Wedding, Birthday, baby?
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Children's Birthdays! Birthdays for all ages, but especially 1st birthdays because the responses/expressions of pure joy and innocence from little toddlers is just priceless to me. I've always love children & is just so thankful I can use the art of cake to bless children I get the pleasure of meeting or making the cake for. Nothing fulfills me more in life.
Do you enjoy working with fondant or is butter cream more your thing?
I LOVE working/decorating with fondant! It's an amazing medium and allows me the freedom to create, the sky's the limit with fondant/gumpaste/modeling chocolate, etc. LOVE IT!
What's your favorite flavor cake?
Taro, of course! :D
To date - what's your favorite cake that you've made so far?
I LOVE Mango-Passion cake! It's soooo yummy! And great for any occasion & it pleases almost everyone.
Are there any words you have for pastry chefs just starting out?
You gotta LOVE it, that's all I gotta say. I love dessert, so it fuels me to create better tasting foods. I live to eat & am a BIG TIME foodie. I don't know how anyone can be a pastry chef or any culinary chef without the ultimate passion for everything food!
What a beautiful cake Pamela made for the Chinese New Year!
Thank you Pamela for taking time to answer some our questions! We wish you lots of luck in 2011!
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How About Orange is our featured designer for today! I found this wonderful company on Facebook and I'm very excited to share! Jessica Jones is the owner and designer of How About Orange and she lives in Evanston, IL. As you can tell she has a love for all things orange! On her website you will find decorating idea's, free printables, DIY tutorials and tons of inspiration! Check out her amazing items on her website
How About Orange or become a fan on Facebook.
Check out these amazing designs from How About Orange below. For more photo's and great ideas visit her site today!!
Thanks for stopping by the blog and join us over at Cupcakes & Cookies - Oh My on facebook!
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