Chicago officially became a city on March 4, 1837, which means that a 175th birthday party was in order on Sunday. Held at the apropos Chicago History Museum, the afternoon affair had family-friendly educational activities and a four-tier, 80-pound birthday cake created by Vinny Garcia of Bleeding Heart Bakery. Decorated with symbols of the city's various neighborhoods—a sinuous, scaly dragon represented Chinatown, for example—the organic vanilla bean dessert was topped with vanilla bean frosting and Italian butter cream.
Garcia used gum-paste to add the logo, stars, and rings of the Chicago flag to the towering confection, which was several days in the making. "Each tier was decorated individually by myself and my cake team and assembled on-site," he said. "The cake was baked on the first day. I then spent two days decorating the tiers, plus an hour and a half assembling and airbrushing it at the museum." Two separate cars helped transport the cake from the bakery to the museum.
The birthday celebration kicked off the city's "175 Days to Love Chicago" campaign. Wrapping up in late August, the campaign comprises daily festivals, promotional dining and shopping deals, events, and tours across the city.
