Winner - NACE Confections Competition

Posted by Angie VanDaele in Advertiser, Cake, chocolate, EVENTS, ideas, Sedona, weddings

1 comments

Winner of 3 awards at this years ELEMENTS Competition at the J.W. Marriott - Desert Ridge this year was my friend and advertiser Andrea Carusetta-Blaut of Sedona Cake Couture. On Monday, June 30th, she took 1st Place in the Vintage category, Best of Show (of all entries) and People's Choice Award (voted by the public that attended). This was the 2nd year in a row that she took these top 3 awards! Next year she will be a judge so that others can be so recognized.

Twenty of Arizona's finest cake artists competed. The themes were: traditional. contemporary, retro and vintage. Andrea chose Vintage. I don't have pictures of the other cakes yet but isn't Andrea's amazing. She saw an actual picture of this vase and recreated it in sugar. Those are not real flowers, they are SUGAR! For tasting she brought my favorite of her cakes the chocolate with espresso buttercream. Ummmmmmmmmm. And she is so thin!

My lovely friend Barbara Gardner of Let Them Eat Cake (also an advertiser) had two Kick Ass Cakes! They were also award winning but I don't have pictures of them... yet!

It was a fun evening and I hope to post pictures of the amazing tables as soon as I can get my hands on them. I also want to give a special shout to Connie Thiebault the coordinator extraordinaire of the J.W.Marriott - Desert Ridge. I don't see how she slept. The evening was flawless! Thanks... Oh how I hate my job! (not)

The BEST Chocolate Wedding Favors!

Posted by Angie VanDaele in chocolate, favors

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OK not only are they the best wedding favors, I have to say this company makes some of the best chocolate period. I have an expertise that allows me to say this. I am the granddaughter of a talented Greek candy maker. I was eating hand dipped chocolates with my baby food. A visit to his store was like a scene from Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I was the kid who ate so much I blew up.
So that being my "street cred", I was introduced to Vosges Haut-Chocolat at a wedding I attended at Lake Tahoe. These truffles were the favors for each guest at the table. I had to eat one before the night was over. When that morsel from heaven entered my mouth, I knew I had to learn more about the complex flavors I had never tasted in chocolate before. This truffle combined ancho chillies, Ceylon cinnamon and dark chocolate to form a truly unique and enchanting experience. And the Aztec truffle is just one of the sensory collections of flavors from around the world expressed in these fine chocolates.
Why am I telling you about this now? They are available for purchase here in the valley at the Inspiration Lounge at Inspirador.

Lucky Lucky Us! And Santa, if you are reading this, I can explain.