ISAC for ICES!

It’s that time of year again my fellow cake decorating friends! ICES CONVENTION 2016! We are less than two months away from bringing the cake decorating world to Mobile, Alabama. Chef Nicholas has already begun to prepare for the big weekend, and I am super excited to share some of what ISAC will be offering, as well as some of the activities at this year’s convention.

Let’s start with Chef Nicholas and ISAC. As always, ISAC will be hosting a vendor table with all the cake decorating tools you could possibly dream of, and more! More you say? Yep- Chef Nicholas will be debuting several brand new products at the convention this year, as well as releasing a brand new gumpaste flower book! So yes, you will most certainly want to visit our vendor booth and check out all our new swag.

Chef Nicholas will also be hosting both a hands on class and a demonstration. On Thursday, August 4th, Chef Nicholas will be teaching his hands on class from 5:00-8:00pm. In this class he will be teaching his lucky students how to create the Lily of the Valley and the Stephanotis. These are both very popular wedding flowers, and would be a fantastic new addition to your gumpaste flower repertoire. On Saturday, August 6th, Chef Nicholas’s 90 minute demonstration will feature Alabama’s own gorgeous state flower- the Camellia! This demo will be held from 8:30am-10:00am. The demonstration is $7.00 for registered attendees, or $15.00 for a one-day pass holder (available for on-site purchase only). The hands on class is $75.00, includes all necessary supplies, and students will leave with a completed project! Be sure to sign up and secure your seat in both the class and the demo!

There are some fun events, aside from the normal excitement, at this year’s ICES Convention that you may want to check out! There are two tours around historic Mobile, Alabama that may pique your interest! First up is the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park tour on Tuesday, August 2, from 9:00am-1:00pm. On this tour you get to explore the huge battleship as well as the USS Drum, a World War II submarine! There is also an Aircraft Pavilion that is home to an impressive array of military aircrafts. Lunch will be served aboard the USS Alabama in the Ward Room. I think this tour sounds pretty fantastic, I’m not a military buff or anything, but there is something about big giant ships, subs, and planes that just seems so cool to me! However, if war machines aren’t of interest to you, perhaps the second tour will be more to your liking!

On Wednesday, August 3, you can tour the Bellingrath Gardens and Home. Walter Bellingrath, made his fortune by opening the Mobile Coca-Cola Bottling Company in early 1900s, and his estate, with beautifully manicured gardens and mansion with a stunning collection of historic furniture and artwork, is now open for tours. Lunch will be served in the Garden’s restaurant. If you make a lot of sugar flowers (like someone we know), you might enjoy finding inspirational blooms as you stroll through the gardens! If you’d like to explore Mobile on your own, you could also check out the GulfQuest National Maritime Museum, Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center, Mobile Carnival Museum (celebrating Mardi Gras), Fort Conde Historic Site, Bragg-Mitchell Mansion, or the beach!

On Saturday, August 6th, you can attend the Gingerbread Talent Showcase; this is a teaching and sharing event! You can watch construction crews build some of Mobile’s historic buildings out of gingerbread. Or you can relax and listen to guest speakers Christina Banner and Barb Evans give tips, tricks, and recipes to help you become a gingerbread guru! The convention is hoping everyone will consider sharing their own gingerbread talents by creating a display for the event (pieces can be registered here). Tickets are $7.00, and the price is included in the Saturday One-Day ticket price for the general public.

Finally, something I thought sounded super fun… the Annual Awards Banquet. Yeah, yeah, I know it’s every year, but as I was reading the convention schedule I did a double take when I read this, “Join us for our Grand Southern Gala, an evening of genuine southern charm and elegance awaits you. The dress is formal, semi-formal or come in a vintage 1800’s costume!” Yes, please! I want to see everyone dressed up in a vintage 1800s outfit! I wonder if Chef Nicholas will be dressing 1800s chic…

Registration for the convention is open, so if you haven’t registered yet, you can pop over to the website and get yourself signed up for the convention and then Chef Nicholas’ class and demos! You can find the full schedule of events, pricing, and hotel information on the convention website as well. We can’t wait to see you all there!

One more little treat for you all: Chef Nicholas’ newest Craftsy class is launching in just over a week! You can enter to win Sweet Seasons: Fall Foliage by clicking here. The winner will be notified by email on Monday, June 27. Good luck everyone.