Cakes

In 2011, the South Beach Wine and Food Festival’s 10th anniversary party, “Let Them Eat Cake,” was hosted by Emeril Lagasse and Martha Stewart. More than 800 guests took elevators to the top floor of event hotspot 1111 Lincoln Road to sip champagne and cocktails and sample confections from a baker’s dozen of pastry chefs alongside the festival’s biggest stars. Top pastry chefs from around the country provided cakes honoring the festival's 10th anniversary.

In March, guests of all ages came out for the screening of Mirror Mirror followed by a family-friendly party at the Hollywood Roosevelt. The event acknowledged star Lily Collins's birthday with a giant, apple-shaped cake by A Wish and a Whisk.

The James Beard Awards returned to Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall in May to celebrate the latest crop of culinary award winners, as well as the James Beard Foundation’s silver anniversary. In honor of the anniversary, Duff Goldman of Charm City Cakes in Baltimore created a cake in the shape of the James Beard House in New York. After being presented during the ceremony, it was later served to guests in the Urban Spoon lounge on the balcony.

On September 10, Chicago lifestyle publication Glossed & Founded hosted a one-year anniversary event for Atelier Azza. Held at the Public Hotel, the event had a glitzy, birthday party vibe, complete with a towering cake from Sugar Hills Bakery. The cake’s frosting had the silky look of fabrics from the Atelier Azza collection, while jewels and other embellishments evoked the line’s gilded, ornate look.

To mark the 25th anniversary of Weddingbells in 2010, the magazine hosted a cocktail reception for 400 guests at the Windsor Arms Hotel and called on renowned cake designer Bonnie Gordon of the Bonnie Gordon School to create the decor—a display of 25 elaborate cakes. Gordon called on students to create the lavish confections.