We are super excited to be chatting with Cindy Smith, a talented Melbourne based cake artist and pastry chef, whose work we have long admired. Cindy creates custom made sweet treats for all occasions and is well known for her expert use of fondant (and that adorable kawaii ice-cream cake!) Tell us about how you became a cake designer and pasty chef. When did you realize you wanted to become a cake designer? Growing up, I never knew what I wanted to do after school. I went to university and graduated with a bachelor of business majoring in PR and HR because I thought that was just what we do. I had a very short stint at a marketing job, and this was when I realised I hated it! The 9 to 5, the

We spent the weekend in Sydney at the beautiful Sofitel Sydney Wentworth enjoying their special family fun package which was launched to celebrate the release of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. What a magical weekend! As soon as we walked into the hotel lobby we were met with the most inviting Beauty and the Beast display. Set up under the stunning chandeliers was a decadent tea party display full of roses, teapots and antique books which the kids loved exploring. Admiring the entrance table in the lobby of Sofitel Sydney Wentworth. As we checked in at reception our little lady Ava was presented with a gorgeous red rose, both Ava and Alexander were offered a meringue and Pete and I were offer

I first met the gorgeous Chyka Keebaugh and her husband Bruce back in 2004 while I was studying Public Relations at University. My friend Liz and I were organizing a 'Ladies Who Lunch' fundraising event for Melbourne’s Peter Mac Cancer Centre and Chyka and Bruce – who were super-busy heading up their fabulous catering and events company, The Big Group – had kindly agreed to be guest speakers at our inaugural event. I'll never forget how generous Chyka and Bruce were with their time that day. They stayed on for hours chatting to guests and sharing their tips for entertaining at home. Their passion for the industry was inspiring and 13 years on this remains the case. I was lucky to catch up wi

Today we are thrilled to be chatting to British cake designer, Georgia Green from Georgia’s Cakes, who is based in North West London. Classically trained at Le Cordon Blue, Georgia is renowned for giving a modern spin to traditional baking techniques. I have long admired Georgia’s unique creations and was thrilled to chat to her about her signature cake range and also get some tips to recreate her chocolate drip and giant cupcake at home. Georgia, please tell us about how you became a cake designer. When did you realize you wanted to become a cake designer? I decided to specialise in cakes after my training at Le Cordon Bleu. I knew I didn't want to work in a hotel and restaurant, so I worke

Imagine a restaurant perched on the edge of a wooded gorge. Then imagine the most exquisite Italian food served by the most attentive and hospitable wait staff as you gaze over this stunning landscape. If you visit Farm Vigano, a restaurant and function venue overlooking the Plenty River Gorge in Melbourne, this is your reality. We first visited with the kids back in January and as soon as we arrived we knew we had to return to celebrate my Mum's birthday. (Pic above via www.instagram.com/farmviganorestaurant.) Farm Vigano was once the home of restaurateur Mario Vigano and his artist wife Maria Theresa Vigano. Decades on and thanks to two modern restaurateurs, Farm Vigano is dedicated to pre

Today we were thrilled to chat to Ellen from Milk and Water Baking Co who is a 3rd generation baker based in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. Ellen is currently taking the baking world by storm with her incredibly artistic piping and pretty dessert creations and I am so excited to share a couple of insights from Ellen into how she achieves this look and the inspiration behind her creations. As soon as I stumbled onto Ellen’s instagram page my first thoughts were “how does Ellen create that magical icing”?! Keep scrolling down to learn how she does it! Hi Ellen, can you start by giving us a bit of background about your work? I made my first rosette covered cake about 2 years ago to bring to a di