Lauren Kitchens: Craftsy
With so many reality competitions on television, an average Joe can get his own 15 minutes of fame. Nearly every night, judges, either knowledgeable in their industries or entertainingly outspoken, critique aspiring contestants. A season ends, the trend of the moment passes, and a new show comes along, showcasing even more outlandish and critical judges. But what becomes of the winners? Do the “idols” and “masters” continue on to fame and fortune?
In 2009, Advocate interviewed Lauren Kitchens, owner of Fancy Cakes by Lauren. The cake decorator had just wrapped filming the first of what became four appearances on the Food Network show, “Food Network Challenge.” Although Kitchens showcased her cake-sculpting skills well, most notably with two award-winning cakes — a SpongeBob cake and a bridal cake — she says that it didn’t boost her business like she expected. “The cake celebrity was short-lived. It didn’t hurt my business, but it didn’t help it either,” she says.
Kitchens did, however, pick up a new baking medium that changed how she sculpts cake. She noticed that her competitors were using a combination of chocolate and corn syrup to sculpt realistic cakes rather than the fondant frosting that was popular at the time. Kitchens began crafting cakes that included gravity-defying elements such as a syrup bottle suspended over a waffle. Not only did Kitchens enjoy experimenting with the new medium, she also realized that she wanted to share her passion for cake decorating with others.
“Ultimately, being on TV launched a teaching career,” Kitchens says.
She soon received offers to teach all over the country. Kitchens even has an international student base, thanks to her online classes through the website, Craftsy.
“There are students in Singapore that don’t have air conditioning and have to bake while it’s 90 degrees inside. People in England use different tools than we do. Navigating those challenges and accommodating the students has helped me to learn, too.”
As for any more reality TV appearances for Kitchens? Don’t hold your breath.
“Reality TV has taken over like a virus. Excellent cake artists on TV look terrible because of the constraints put on them, with all of the rushing and the curve balls,” Kitchens says.
She says her shows were shot over long periods of time and editing gave the shows a fast-paced feel.
“I got in during the last golden years of cake-making on TV,” Kitchens says. She remembers fondly the episode in which she created Muppet cakes resembling the judges. Kitchens says students still want to learn her Muppet designing skills, years later.
“The Muppet class will never die,” she says with a laugh.
Learn more
about Kitchens’ teaching schedule and cakes at craftsy.com and fancycakesbylauren.com
