Mark’s Blog

As you might guess, I enjoy ordering dessert when eating out.  What I find so striking about restaurant desserts is that there is very little middle ground.  What I mean by that is that desserts in a restaurant setting are usually quite memorable for one of two reasons: they are either quite good or quite bad.  Either variety leaves a lasting impression with the diner that may help him or her to decide whether or not to return to that restaurant…or whether to even recommend it to friends.

Some of my most recent memorable dessert experiences were at one of Chicago’s much talked-about Randolph Street eateries and Asheville, North Carolina’s splendid “Horizons” Restaurant at The Grove Park Inn.

At the local spot, I was surprised by the minimal portions of the desserts as well as the presentation.  So much care seemed to have been taken in the preparation of the savory foods that stopped there.  Dessert felt almost an afterthought with a big price tag.  The menu descriptions were convoluted and somewhat difficult to follow.  Then, within seconds of the dessert being delivered to the table, so was the bill.  What a way to dim the light on an otherwise delightful experience.

Horizons, on the other hand, hit the nail on the head.  Fully aware that the dining room would be welcoming cake decorators and pastry chefs from around the country, the kitchen team set out on a mission to create a unique plate-up to correspond to the occasion and season.  The stage was set with the fact that the pastry chef had actually researched each of the visiting chef’s bio in order to gain more insight into what might be most appealing.  The result?  A duo of sweet delights including: a Chocolate espresso mousse with chocolate cinnamon flourless cake & hot chocolate orange ice cream and Nutmeg spice cake with sweet potato butter, candied cayenne walnuts, gingerbread ice cream, & crispy sweet potato garnish.  Considering that I enjoyed those desserts three months ago and am still talking about it…in a good way…says a lot about the finished product and the pride that the Chef took in the process and work that he and his team put into that one dessert experience.  I am planning a return visit to Horizons in May and am already savoring the idea of another delectable sweet ending to a meal there.

Of course, I am not suggesting that every dessert experience should or could practically be such an over-the-top experience as that special occasion at Horizons.  What I am suggesting is that restauranteurs and pastry chefs always consider that a dessert does leave a lasting impression.  So take this component of the dining experience seriously.  Invest in well-trained staff, focus on robust flavors, and use the finest ingredients your budget can handle.  Your customers, and you, will be glad that you did.

Desserts by Iain Jones at Grove Park Inn

Each year I have the honor and pleasure of participating in the judging panel of the National Gingerbread Competition in Asheville, NC.  And each year the entries astound me as to their ingenuity and new-found creativity.  This year was no different. 

"Rusted" Gingerbread Roof created by Michael Billella

Over 200 contestants create displays in categories based on age: kids, teen, youth, and adult.  This year, one of the youth entries had the adults running scared.  Basing her theme on the 2009 Disney-Pixar movie “Up”, Skyla Delerme created a playful representation of the balloon-laden house…complete with hand-modeled figures of the movie’s main characters Carl, Russell, Dug, and Kevin.  Skyla’s attention to detail, use of color, and modeling techniques were unsurpassed in this category, grabbing her first place honors in the Teen category.

Other houses of special note included the show’s Grand Prize winnning Matryoshka doll themed display created by Heather Lewis of Austell, GA.  The display included a meticulously decorated set of 6 nesting dolls designed to depict Santa Claus, an Elf, a reindeer, a snowman, a gingerbread man, and a traditional Russian Matryoshka girl.  Every detail of Heather’s entire display was artfully executed, using a variety of decorating techniques in unique ways.  Most impressive was Heather’s ability to bake gingerbread in a curved shape with such neat and even seams.  The edible glaze used to finish the dolls gave the entire display a look that took it beyond gingerbread and into toy-making.

Three other displays that caught my eye were Noah’s Ark, created by MaryJo Dowling of Westford, MA and Barb Evans of Edelstein, Illinois and a house designed with a “rusted” roof created by a first-time competitor who drove all the way from Oklahoma, and a Rocking Horse created by Angel Adkins of Kodak, TN.  The hand-modeled figures used to decorate the Ark were full of personality; the rusted element of the roof something I’d never seen done before; and the wood finish of the rocking horse so realistic that I had to touch it to believe it was gingerbread! 

The National Gingerbread Competition is held annually in November at the beautiful Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa.  

Entries are judged on overall appearance, originality/creativity, difficulty, precision and consistency of theme.

Registration information is available online. For additional photos from this year’s competition visit the National Gingerbread Competition page on Facebook.

Have you ever met someone whom you wished you had met so much sooner in life?  This is just how it was for me when I met Scott & Juli Chapin.  About a year ago at one of many cake shows that I attend, I noticed a vendor booth that was unfamiliar to me.  A woman was showcasing what looked like a big plexiglass box with a tiered wedding cake in it.  When I approached the booth, I was warmly greeted by Juli who introduced me to the CakeSafe_™. 

Juli and her husband Scott went on to explain to me that they developed the CakeSafe_™ as a means to safely transport tiered cakes from bakery to venue without worry.  Being the skeptic that I am, I was dubious about the concept.  Scott, an engineer by trade, demonstrated the mechanics of the system.  

The CakeSafe_™ is a plastic box that has four sides that hinge together and lock into a sturdy high density plastic base. With the cake in the box, the top of the box is placed over the sides and then locked in place with four metal tabs. Then a guide piece is placed in the top and a stainless steel rod (⅜” thick) is pushed down thru the cake and the base, securing your cake in the center of the CakeSafe_™.  Once at the venue, the box easily disassembles, the stainless rod is removed, and you can cover the small hole with buttercream or rolled fondant.

After testing the box by tipping the model over with a real cake in it several times and seeing with my own eyes that nothing budged, I was sold.  The only problem?  I no longer have a bakery!!  Where was the CakeSafe ten years ago?!  If you make tiered cakes, I encourage you to investigate the CakeSafe today–you’ll be glad you did!

Read more about the CakeSafe online at www.cakesafe.com.

Recently I had the opportunity to give back to the Community in a unique way.  With the help of fellow Pastry Chef, Della Gossett, a former intern at the French Pastry School Allie Howard (now of the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee), and our friend Paul Detaege who is the link between me and the unexpected venue, I led a group class for a group of eighteen young, enthusiastic kids at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Milkwaukee.  After having toyed with the idea of doing something experiential related to food for the youth of the parish with long-time friend Father Mike Bertram, “Pies Be With You” was born.

The idea of the day was simply to create an environment in which the kids could learn something fun that could turn into an at-home family activity in the future, all while building self-esteem and self-confidence.  Little did we know, that the rewards would be just as great for the four of us as they were for the kids.

The evening before the class, Paul and I organized the space.  The event was held in the former meal hall of the monastery which is now part of  the church.  The space was ideal because it provided enough space for the kids to spread out and each have their own work space without feeling crowded in the least.  Paul, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Chicago, has a long history of working with children and is highly experienced in group dynamics so was instrumental in interacting with each of the kids throughout the day as well as organizing the space for the best potential for group interaction.  Lennie, one of the generous parishioners arranged for donations of all of the raw materials including 80 pounds of fresh apples! 

On the morning of the class, Della and Allie were hard at work measuring out all of the ingredients for each student to use for his/her pie…sugar, spices, flour, butter…as the kids arrived one by one, they were given a paper chef hat that they decorated with markers and crayons with their name and fun drawings.  Already the feeling in the room was fun and creative.  The day went on as the kids watched demonstrations on how to make a pie crust and filling from scratch, each preparing their very own complete pie, rolling out the crusts and filling it to bake at home.

Parents were intrigued at the attentiveness of their children and noticeably impressed by their interest and finished products.  For the kids, they learned something about good desserts, fresh foods, and community.  For us organizers, we learned what it is to see something as simple as a cooked pie filling as something awe-inspiring and special and shared in the kids’ excitement to create something unique.  We all look forward to the next opportunity to visit St. Francis when we will be baking bread with another group.  In the meantime, enjoy these images of Pies Be With You!

Endurance

People ask me all the time: “What does it take to get good at making cakes?”.  The answer came to me this week as I ran my first 8-mile training run for my first half marathon:  ENDURANCE.  As with any craft, learning to decorate a cake well takes repetition over a long period of time.  But what defines this period and  when does one practice one’s craft?  Before work?  After work?  During work?  While getting ready for work?  On the weekends?  The answer seems obvious: all the time…and forever.  I personally practice every moment I can and find ways to learn ways to improve my craft regularly.

Back to my running analogy.  I have never been a runner.  While I used to be an avid distance cyclist, I quickly learned that running uses a whole different set of muscles than biking.  And it requires an enormous amount of mental stamina in order to avoid boredom or talk yourself into stopping short of the day’s target distance.  My coach (and I use the term loosely since we meet so irregularly), at our first running meeting, gave me a battery of exercises to do while I am not running.  Some of these exercises simulate running while others train tiny muscles in your ankles or strengthen your hips to help improve the next run…and avoid injury.  I find myself thinking about running all of the time now.  This is exactly how it should be for the novice cake decorator. 

Carry a sketch pad.  Jot down ideas of techniques you’d like to try.  Carry a camera.  Take photographs of shop windows with a particular pattern or color palette that strikes you and later translate it into a cake design.  These aesthetic exercises are akin to the runner’s “non-running” exercises that will help you develop your craft even when you are not standing in front of a cake.

When you are standing in front of a cake, practice.  Practice techniques you’ve done only once or even a thousand times.  When you do something for the first time it often feels a bit clumsy.  The second and third attempts build your comfort level.  The fourth and fifth create familiarity…perhaps by the hundredth you will have that eureka moment and “get it”. 

The bottom line is that there is no magic period of time by which anyone will “get good” at decorating a cake.  We all have affinities for certain things and struggle with others.  There is truth in the old adage “practice makes perfect”.  So to all of you new cake decorators out there: keep practicing.  And I’ll keep running.

Do you like bread?  I do too.  When I travel internationally, I always check out the bread.  One of the breads that I discovered on my recent visit to Turkey is called Gevrekci.  It is basically a ring of bread covered in sesame seeds.  One of the unique things about this particular bread is that it is sold by street vendors all over Izmir and typically enjoyed in the morning.

On my last day in Turkey, I decided to explore Izmir’s Kemeralti Bazaar.  Kemeralti is Izmir’s tiny version of Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar.  Although tiny in relation to The Grand Bazaar, this maze of shops and wandering vendors can become a labrynth in which you lose your bearings.  On a mission to find a scarf for my sister, I decided to explore the bazaar.  Since I would be flying back to the States via Istanbul early the following morning I decided to leave all important documents and valuables in the hotel safe and headed out armed with just my camera and a pair of sunglasses.

Along the 15-minute route from my hotel to the bazaar, I snapped photos of some of the city’s landmark’s:  The Konak Yali Mosque, The landmark clock tower of Izmir, and a Gevrekci stand.  I had been capturing shots of the various street vendors throughout the city whenever I had an opportunity and found the perfect shot of one of the omnipresent bread stands.  I snapped the photo, put my camera back into my pocket, took a few steps, and was abruptly flanked by two men who started asking me where I was from in Turkish-accented English.  Having been primed by my Turkish colleagues the night before, I replied that I was from France, complete with French accent.  My friends in Izmir suggested that I may have a more enjoyable time at the bazaar if I were to pass as a European, partly since few Turks speak French so it would be easy to extricate myself from a conversation in which a pushy vendor might be trying to unload unwanted wares on me.  It became quickly evident that this was a bad time to be pretending anything…the two men immediately produced police badges and began asking for my passport.  Of course, my passport was (foolishly) safely tucked in the hotel room safe.  After a few more minutes of questioning I was quickly ushered into a police car that had quietly appeared behind me.  Now I was scared.  Not understanding WHY I was being asked to get into the car, I was reluctant to do so.  The alternative of dodging the two armed men in the midst of the bazaar was no more appealing, so in I went. 

The two men (different from the two original ones who stopped me on the street) asked me where I was from.  I decided this was no time for stories, so I said “The United States”.  They also asked for my passport, which I couldn’t produce.  They then wanted to know what my problem was.  I explained that I had been taking pictures when I was stopped by the other two guys.  Then the car started to move.  We were now driving into the bazaar.  The car was moving at a snail’s pace surrounded by throngs of people.  We had driven too far, but had made several turns, before the car came to a stop and I was invited to exit the vehicle.  I was greeted by the two original guys who were then joined by the two drivers and a fifth man who formed a circle around me.  As they all spoke in rapid Turkish to one another I discerned that we were at least standing in front of a police station and not some unmarked hole-in-the-wall building in which I would disappear forever.  This did little to calm my nerves though since I still didn’t understand why I was suddenly the subject of a police interrogation.

Now it became clear that they were all interested in the photos that I had been taking.  So I produced the camera and began scrolling through the images.  They kept going back to the shot of the bread guy.  I found it so strange.  Then they started asking me questions about whether I’d heard about the most recent bombing in Istanbul.  Of course I had; I was just in Istanbul a few days prior to judge a cake contest.  This did not help my case.  Now the questions about why I had photographed this particular bread stand became more insistent.  They pointed out a man in the background who turned out to be an Interpol agent.  They mistakenly believed that he was the subject of my photo and that I was making him (and the landmarks I had photographed) the target of another bomb attack!  Me!  A cake designer from Chicago.  I think by this time I looked so panicked that they realized that there was no way I could be involved in something like this.  So, after 20 minutes of questioning, I was released.  With the instruction to be careful of whom I photographed while in Turkey.  Suffice it to say that the gevrekci photo you are looking at now represents the last photo I shot on this trip.

On this visit to the bazaar I was reminded of an important travel tip: always carry your passport.  Had I had it, this entire episode may have been cut short.  My visit to Kemeralti will be burned in my mind…forever.

I recently had the opportunity to travel to Turkey for a product development project for Turkey’s largest bakery franchise company, Ozsut.  While Turkey has never been at the very top of my “places to go” list, I found myself excited at the prospect when the opportunity arose.  The journey itself was the longest I have made in a single flight to get to a work destination–15 hours door to door.  I flew from Chicago directly to Istanbul then switched flights to continue on to Izmir, where I would spend the bulk of the next two weeks. 

The team with whom I worked most directly comprised 4 people, 3 Turkish-speaking chefs and one English-speaking production manager, Sena.  Sena was able to help facilitate communication among us most of the time.  During the brief periods where she would be called away to tend to other matters, communication became a game of charades mixed with the few Turkish words and phrases that I had picked up.  I can now at least list off 90% of the ingredients required for most cakes and icings without thinking.  Now if I can just learn how to order food in a restaurant, I will be all set!

The purpose of my work was to help develop some new flavor profiles and products for Ozsut’s cake line, which will be launched this Fall.  The first challenge was taking American-style products and modifying them to fit the Turkish palate; then we had to tweak the formulas to allow for differences in ingredients available in Turkey.    All in all the project was a great success and I am looking forward to many more visits to Turkey where I will continue to work with Ozsut on future projects.

While I was in Turkey, the “Cows on Parade” project came to Izmir.  Imagine my surprise to see something so Chicago on the streets of Izmir.  Ozsut even sponsored two cows, one of which is pictured here.

As you might imagine, some of the foods that I encountered were a bit different from what we consider staples in the States.  One that I enjoyed immensely is called “kokorec” (pronounced coco-wretch).  Kokorec is a plate of barbequed sheep intestines served with hot peppers and tomatoes.  I admit that I was a bit reluctant to try the kokorec as the description conjured up visions of a squishy mass with an unpleasant texture.  I couldn’t be more wrong.  The kokorec was served as a sandwich and was bursting with amazing flavor.  Adnan, the technical director at Ozsut and my primary contact there, took me to what he considered to be the place for the best (and cleanest) kokorec.  Adnan was always extremely conscientious in ensuring that I ate nothing that would make me sick during my visit to Turkey.  So, on that note, for every street food that intrigued me, he took it upon himself to find a reputable restauranteur who offered that food where I could sample it without fear.

One of the most memorable meals that I enjoyed in Izmir was at the fish market.  Adnan took me to an open-air market where we selected our fish of choice, sea bass and shrimp.  The fish were no more than 3 hours old, on ice, and sent directly to one of the restaurants behind the market where the chef prepared the fish to our liking.  I enjoyed lots of fresh fish during my stay in Turkey, but eating such a fresh catch sitting on the edge of the Aegean was nirvana.

Enjoy these photos from my recent visit…and tune in next time for stories about the cake show I judged in Istanbul and my visit to the bazaar!

As most of you either know or can guess, much of my life revolves around cake and other sweet things.  As part of the Faculty of the French Pastry School in Chicago, even more things now turn into an excuse for creating something out of sugar, cake, or chocolate.  This week’s Chicago Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup win was no exception.  In anticipation of the big win, Chefs Jacquy Pfeiffer and Sebastien Canonne, Deans and founders of the School, conceived of the idea to create a 50-pound replica of the coveted Stanley Cup out of chocolate. 

Although I am by no means a hockey fan, the project was of interest to me just from the perspective of how it would be achieved.  My small role was to come up with a technique using gum paste to adorn two life-size hockey sticks (made of chocolate) with what I am calling “gauzey tape stuff” that provides friction for the player to grasp the stick as well as an area with which the puck comes in contact.  Sounds easy enough, but upon close inspection of the hockey stick model provided to me, I discovered that the “gauzey tape stuff” is textured. 

Fortunately for me, the School’s supply of textured rolling pins included one that would create just the right effect for the gauze.  I started by passing my paste through the KitchenAid pasta attachment in order to achieve a perfectly consistent thickness in the paste.  Then, applying consistent, even pressure, I added the textured effect to the paste with the selected pin.  With my omnipresent ribbon cutter, I rolled through the paste to cut an even-width strip comparable to the width of the actual “gauze” on the stick.  As I rolled this strip up, I brushed off the excess powdered sugar from the back side then was ready to attach it to the stick.

Using egg white as my glue, I started on what would be the back side of the stick and steadily unrolled the gum paste strip, overlapping just enough to create the look of tape.  The finished result was exactly what I had hoped for.  This little one-hour task was but a tiny part in a wonderful project in honor of a winning team. 

If you would like to learn more about how to create decorative finishes to showpieces or cakes, visit the French Pastry School’s web site for more information about its new L’Art du Gateau program which launches August 30, 2010.

I recently had an opportunity to discover that although bottled water may not be carried through airport security, a 12″ fondant-covered cake can.  In a weak moment a few weeks ago, I agreed to provide the cake for a surprise birthday party for a long-time friend in Europe.  Given my travel schedule immediately prior to the party, I had no choice but to make the cake in Chicago and carry it with me on the flight to Paris.  Sounds easy enough, right?   Sure…the kicker is that the party was in a small town in Belgium about 30 minutes from Lille.  The plan was for me to take the TGV from Paris to Lille where I would meet a friend who would then drive me to Menen for the party.

I arrived at O’Hare with cake in hand and proceeded directly to an agent to check in, bypassing the self-service kiosks.  Having labeled the cake box with fantastic “Wedding Cake” labels, the agent began asking excited questions.  I figured that if everyone believed I was carrying a wedding cake instead of a simple birthday cake, more care would be given to the handling of the cake.  As soon as the agent realized that I had planned to take the cake on board with me, she insisted that I would have problems at TSA.  I assured her that I had already checked it out with a TSA agent in person at O’Hare on a previous flight as well as by phone with the airline and wasn’t too worried.  Just to satisfy her own concerns, she walked me and the cake over to the security area, cake in hand, to inquire about any special handling required.  The TSA agent she asked saw no issue, so we returned to the ticket counter to complete my check-in.  Still concerned that I would have problems with security, the ticket agent escorted me back to security, passing through the same line where she had gotten the thumbs up a few minutes prior and waited–partly to make sure I made it through, and partly in the hopes that TSA would make me open the box so she could see the cake.  No such luck for her.  I whizzed right through as though I had no luggage while agents feverishly searched an elderly woman with a container of yogurt in front of me.

Once on the plane, I placed the cake on the floor under the seat in front of me so I could keep an eye on it.  It was a little wider than my allotted area, but there seemed to be no one in the seat next to me…until about 2 minutes before our scheduled departure time.  At that point, I needed to find a better spot for the cake.  I asked one of the flight attendants if there was any way to find a safe spot somewhere on the plane for it.  Thanks to the wedding cake label, he was more than happy to try to accommodate my request.  Miraculously, he did find a compartment that was essentially the same size as the cake box, so my “wedding cake” could ride in peaceful solitude all the way to France.  He labeled the outside of the compartment “Wedding Cake: DO NOT TOUCH” and taped the door shut. 

Once I arrived in Paris, I was starting to wonder whether the passport control agent or the customs agent would give me any grief over the unusual box.  Not even a glance.  I was through passport control, collected my luggage and past customs in a matter of minutes.  As I started the long trek from the arrival gate to the RER gate to catch the train into the City, I quickly realized that there was no way that I would easily be able to manage the cake box (which seemed to be getting heavier with every step) along with all of my luggage (which contained everything I needed for the next two weeks along with the fragile sugar flowers for the wedding, I mean birthday, cake) alone on the train.  Well, on the train would be no problem.  It was the stairs and turnstyles that were beginning to make me nervous.  So, I decided to opt for a taxi to get from the airport to a friend’s apartment near the Bastille where I would spend the night before catching my train to Lille.  While convenient in terms of not having to maneuver the turnstyles or stairs of the train, or navigate the change from the RER to the Metro at the Gare du Nord, the taxi ride took nearly two hours due to the ridiculous traffic in Paris that day. 

I had forwarned my gracious host about the girth of the cake box I would be storing at his place so he had cleared out an entire shelf in his little refrigerator for it where it spent the night.  Having heard about my sugar flowers on many occasions but never seeing one in real life, Xavier wanted to see the ones that were packed away in my luggage.  I opened both boxes of gum paste orchids only to discover that one box had been packed a bit too loosely and had sustained some casualties.  Par for the course with something so fragile, but disheartening nonetheless. 

The following morning, feeling rested and wary of another too-long taxi experience, I headed to the Metro with cake and luggage in hand.  I made the trip down the stairs in two trips, wedged my way through the turnstyle and got my way to the Gare du Nord where I would catch my train to Lille.  The trip to Lille was a simple one, about two hours.  About 90 minutes into the trip, my phone rang with a text message from Stephane, the other friend who would be picking me up at the train station in Lille.  The message indicated that he was stuck in traffic and could nto get to the train station, that his father would be coming instead.  Having never met Stephane’s father, I had no idea how this would go down.

As I was getting off the train in Lille, my phone buzzed again.  Once I made it off the train and found a spot to set the cake down, I looked at the call log to see that the call I had just missed was from a “mystery number”.  It was a cell phone number from France, so I assumed it must be my ride.  I dialed the number back, reaching Stephane’s father.  He told me that he had just dropped his wife off at the train station to find me…that I should exit the train station, find the fountain out front, and look for a 60 year-old woman wearing a brown jacket.  Do you have any idea how many 60 year-old women wearing brown jackets there are in front of train stations in Lille?  More than one.  Fortunately for me, she was on the lookout for a guy with a giant cake box so I was easily found.

Once in the car, Stephane’s parents explained to me the plan: drive to their place where I would hide in the garage with the cake and await Stephane who would drive me to the party venue in Menen.  Confused about the garage piece I had to ask…turns out that the whole ruse for the surprise party was a dinner at Stephane’s parents.  So, Laurent, the guest of honor, was also on his way to their home.  Obviously he could not arrive to find me there or the surprise would be spoiled.

I was never so glad to see Stephane shortly after arriving at his parents home so the cake and I could escape the confines of the garage and begin the last leg of what was suddenly feeling like a very long journey.

In the end, Laurent was extremely surprised with the party…and everyone loved the cake. 

My travel story provided much conversation and laughter that night.  And a reason for me to never agree again to tote a cake with me on a plane for anyone.

Over the course of the past few weeks I have had the opportunity to judge two separate respectable cake shows.  As customary, several entries were recognizable as pieces that had been created for a past show elsewhere.  While I understand the interest in having as many individuals as possible see a Decorator’s work, as an Adjudicator at the shows, I would like to encourage all Decorators to create new pieces for each competition.

Cake shows provide a medium for learning on many fronts.  Novice Decorators get a glimpse of the myriad skills that they have yet to learn, Master Decorators exchange ideas and learn how to apply advanced techniques in new or unique ways…and the general public learns just how far the world of cake decorating has advanced and they begin to understand that the next cake they order from their local Cake Designer can be so much more than a round cake with piped flowers.

Where Decorators who recycle cakes (that is to show the same display used in a previous show with minor or no adjustments) miss the boat is in this learning cycle.  At the conclusion of each show, the Decorators receive feedback from the Decorators who judged the show.  This critical feedback provides necessary information on areas on which to focus in order to improve one’s craft and skill.  Through the process of creating a new display utitilizing this feedback, the Decorator’s overall workmanship improves.  By competing regularly, the Decorator’s daily production pace improves and general productivity is better. 

Decorators whose primary concern is to bring home a blue ribbon are cheating themselves out of one of the most beneficial elements of the shows: Learning.  Although a cake may place in one show and not another, it does not change the workmanship nor will the Decorator gain any new useful feedback.  Winning a ribbon is certainly a thrill, but is somewhat meaningless if it is won by default. 

If you are a Decorator entering multiple shows, consider using the feedback provided by the judges and your fellow decorators to re-create the same piece.  This will allow you the opportunity to learn, put your knowledge into practice, and truly show your skill.