The Challenge (08)
So by now you’ve all seen the Food Network Challenge… I want to first say thank you to all that have sent emails, blog comments, text messages and phone calls…sharing your support! I truly appreciate knowing that you are out there enjoying what I and Pink Cake Box produce!
After living the real life 8 hour challenge, and then watching it on tv…my comments are below 
1) I do realize there is no crying in cake But sometimes there is…
2) At the time, I made the decision to do as the client wanted…even though in theory she wasn’t a client…and it was a challenge….but in real life I always try to make the bride happy!
3) In the end, I was upset because I didn’t stay true to my work (i.e. it wasn’t as clean as I would like, nor was the color scheme very cohesive, etc) and the result was that my cake looked terrible…and the judges called me on it.
So that’s it in a nutshell. It was a great learning experience..I do feel I did a lot better in the 2nd one…and I can promise I don’t normally cry when I make wedding cakes. : )
Thanks again to my family and friends for sharing your warm wishes with me!!!
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Anne… you rocked the challenge regardless! They should have given more points for the chef’s classiness and sophistication (you won hands down). Watched it with a few people from Ktown and we were boo-ing the judges and totally cheering for you out loud (there was a little wine involved… ok a lot of wine!). It was really entertaining and fun to see you in the spotlight… Can’t wait till the next one!
Anne… you rocked the challenge regardless! They should have given more points for the chef’s classiness and sophistication (you won hands down). Watched it with a few people from Ktown and we were boo-ing the judges and totally cheering for you out loud (there was a little wine involved… ok a lot of wine!). It was really entertaining and fun to see you in the spotlight… Can’t wait till the next one!
Anne,
I think you did a great job. What a challenge! It must have been hard to have the bride as your assistance. I can’t wait to see you again on Food Network Challenge.
You are so right. I have spent many nights in tears having to regroup and stick to my strengths. I am so happy that others have experienced this cake drama and lived to tell about it. Great job! Making cakes is my love, but not my life. I have to remember to put it into perspective sometimes! LOL. Steph
Anne,
I’ve been following your blog for a while now. I also saw you at the cake show this weekend. I loved the fairy sleeping on the mushroom! I felt awful for you when I watched this competition. You did just what the bride wanted, unlike any of the other competitors. She was awful and very mean. I hope this does not discourage you from future competitions. You are awesome and an inspiration to a new cake decorator such as myself.
Wow Anne you did awesome! If anything brides could see that you are a decorator who will listen and not a dictator.
I’ve seen you for a year or so on Flickr and i’m really happy 4 u you’ve come so far.
Keep it up, your fan from Jamaica
Hi Anne,
Being in Texas I was not familiar with your work when I saw you on the Challenge. I could tell that you are a very talented cake artist, although the bride’s ‘vision’ didn’t give you much to work with. I’ve been browsing through the gallery on your site and, just as I thought, you are one of the most talented cake and cookie designers I’ve ever seen. I am very much looking forward to seeing your work on future challenges that will allow you to work your own magic. I have no doubt we will soon see you holding the ‘big check’. I will be pulling for you!
Hi Anne,
I got to see the replay of your challenge yesterday – everyone has already said what I would have said, but I still just wanted to say YOU ROCK and I CANNOT WAIT to see you on another challenge! You are the only cake blog I subscribe to (well, other than Cake Wrecks, LOL) and I love EVERYTHING you share. It was so neat getting to actually put the face and personality of my favorite cake artist with all of these amazing cakes! You did not disappoint one bit!!
I am catching the show for the first time right now!! I am 15 mins in to the show and had to log on to comment!! No matter the outcome I am loving seeing you on the show!! When is the next one? Can’t wait!!
Hey Anne!
I just finished watching you on the food network challenge and I wanted to post a message for you here. I have been following you and your amazing creations on your blog for a long time now and I think you are realllly talented. If you had been given free creative reign you would have knocked all of those other bakers out of the park, seriously. Your style is amazing and that bride did not know what a gift she was given by getting you as her baker! I hope that you do the show again and get to showcase your extraordinary talent!
Kat
Hi Anne,
I have been an avid blog follower of yours since I started cake decorating last year, and I have to say I was very excited to see you on the Food Network’s Challenge! I felt so very sad for you, not because of the outcome, but because I thought you did an amazing job for your first time and no one got to see what you REALLY do! Both my husband and I agreed that that bride was crazy, and HE was the one who told me i just HAD to write you a comment to tell you how great you are! I absolutely love your work and you have been one of my inspirations since day 1. Just know that the people who do know your work are rooting for you all the way! (And I only WISH I was that bride!!) Keep up the awesome work and can’t wait to see the next Challenge!!
Aly Bonafede
Hi Anne,
You are truly someone that I look up to. I have never had a role model before, but I have found one in you.
And when I saw you on the Food Network Challange, I was so excited!
That was a really hard challange to do. They threw in soooo many road blocks!
I think you did a great job. You did exactly what the bride wanted. It’s too bad you got her as the bride. She really didn’t know what she wanted.
You would have blown the socks off everyone if you got a normal bride!!! : ) And it was nice to see a challenger who smiled and seemed truly excited to be there!
I can’t wait to see the next food challange that you are on… i have it marked on my calender! i wouldn’t miss it for the world!
Anne thank you for inspiring me and all of your fans.
Kelly
Anne, I was SO EXCITED to see you on TV. you are my favorite cake artist. I was so sad to see that you had a very difficult bride to work with. I understand how aggravating it must have been for you. I kept telling my boyfriend throughout the entire episode.. “she is so much better than this.. This girl (bride) is ruining the cake! Anne could do so much better.”
You really are wonderful and I can’t wait to see you on challenge again. I want you to take that big check home. You Rock!!!!
Question.. what do you do with the cakes that don’t win… can you eat them in the end? I’ve always wondered!!
Anne,
I love your work…and yes I saw the challenge…here’s the thing: YOU are the only one who took whatever pre conceived notion of what you were going to do and threw it out the window…I think that should have been a prerequisite for all of the participants. Honestly…your little “assistant”, I don’t think, painted herself in a very good light…she insisted on the cake…and then spent the next 60 min (condensed for tv of course) talking bad about it. Her design was bad,
your execution was lovely…Chin up ole girl!
Thanks to everyone for your comments of support…I really appreciate all of your kind words….it makes the whole experience that much better!