Chef Joseph Cumm is coming back to ISAC! Last February, Chef Joe taught an amazing mini-chocolate showpiece class. This fall he's back to teach Introduction to Chocolate and Bon Bons! YUM!

I have some VERY exciting news to share with all of you! Chef Joe Cumm, a longtime friend of Chef Nicholas and Scott, won Cake Wars Christmas (on the Food Network) this week! Yay! Congratulations Chef Joe and team North Star! While I am very happy for Chef Joe, I am even more happy to share that he will be teaching his Valentine Chocolate Mini-Showpiece in ISAC's very own Studio B this coming February!

 Chef Joe had originally planned to teach a chocolate showpiece class early this year (2016), but unfortunately the class had to be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. The class had filled up very quickly and everyone, students, Chef Joe, and the ISAC family, were all so very disappointed. When I was working with Chef Joe and Chef Nicholas to get this chocolate showpiece class arranged for February, I knew that the students who missed out last year would be thrilled to hear that the class was being offered again.

Let's talk details. The Valentine Chocolate Mini-Showpiece class with Chef Joe Cumm is a one-day class, offered on February 12, 2017. Students and Chef Joe will be discussing and playing with chocolate! Learning the different properties of chocolate, different tempering methods, and of course, ways to incorporate chocolate into cake designs! Because this is only a one-day class it will include both demonstration and hands-on chocolate work. Each student will create a mini-chocolate showpiece approximately 12-15 inches tall; some of the pieces will be premade (a necessity for a one-day class), but students will be getting their hands dirty with chocolate too! Students will also be able to express their own style in their showpiece!

This class is going to be a really fantastic opportunity for anyone who has wanted to learn more about and work with chocolate, or gain experience in showpiece construction. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Chef Joe is now the super hero winner of Cake Wars Christmas!! I just know that the tips and advice he will share with his students will be invaluable. Winning Cake Wars Christmas is a huge deal, and he won because of his incredible talent and years of experience.

Chef Joseph Cumm has been has been teaching pastry arts for the past 10 years. Chef Joe is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Johnson and Wales University where he was trained as a classical pastry chef. In 2010, he was nominated for Teacher of the Year for Two-Year colleges in the state of Virginia. He takes great pride in teaching all aspects of pastry and enjoys watching his students push themselves to levels they never knew existed. His cakes and desserts have appeared in magazines with the most recent being his victory at Pastry Lives Art of the Cake 2013 and 2015. Chef Joe was one of 10 Pastry Chefs across America that competed for US Pastry Chef of the Year 2014 and 2015. In January, he will compete for ACF – National Pastry Chef of the Year. He was 2012 winner of Food Network King of Cones Ice Cream competition. Chef Joe competes and judges regularly in national competitions where he also teaches what he has learned from schooling, fellow colleagues, and life. www.pastrychefjoe.com

So, what do you say? Ready to sign up for Chef Joe's Valentine Chocolate Mini-Showpiece class? I know you will be glad you did! 

Sweetly yours,

Stephanie

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Winner of the 2015 Craftsy Blogger Award for Best Craftsy Cake Decorating Instructor Blog

Chef Nicholas Lodge: 2015 Finalist for the Cake Masters Cake Hero Award. 

Several weeks ago, I shared our class schedule for January. This week I am revisiting our January class schedule because we have added some fun new classes! Oh, and I'll be sharing a link that you can click to enter to win Chef Nicholas' NEW Craftsy class that launches next week! I'll dispense with the small talk and dive right into it!

Pastry Live 5 Photo Blog

Hiya friends! It has been a long while since I have done a photo blog, and I thought it would be a great idea to have one this week to share all of the amazing things we saw at Pastry Live this week. With all of the yummy cakes, chocolate, plated desserts, chocolates, seminars, and showpieces, I know you will enjoy this feast for the eyes. 

Pastry Live Atlanta 2014!

Tuesday was the final day of Pastry Live 2014! It was a big weekend for the ISAC team, and we were VERY involved; we had a vendor booth, Chef Nicholas judged two competitions (Art of Cake Competition, and the National Showpiece Championship), The Art of Cake Seminar, sponsored by Nielsen-Massey Vanilla and hosted by Chef Nicholas, AND we were one of the event sponsors! I would argue while Nicholas had more important jobs, mine was more fun. Walk around soaking in the sweetly scented air, have fun, meet people, and gain inspiration for writing this very blog! My job is hard, but it's all for you dear readers- no pain no, gain!