A Charmed Life

Avid Food Network fans tune in twice weekly:  7 p.m., Tuesday, and  9 p.m., Thursday, to catch the latest episodes of Ace of Cakes.

This reality show, created in August 2006 by brothers Jeffrey aka Duff and Willie Goldman, provides an inside-look at a Baltimore bakery, Charm City Cakes.

Curious about the world behind those incredibly amazing cakes, pick up this 300-page volume, Ace of Cakes: Inside the World of Charm City Cakes.

This heavy, slightly cumbersome, 10 x 12-inch scrapbook introduces all of the people who work at CCC including the TV production crew.

Where else can you find the following information:

*Mary Alice met Duff when she  dropped her grandmother’s pearls down the sink,
*persistent Anna plays Scrabble like a grand champion,
*guitarist Geof composes his own songs
*Duff hired Mary Smith because of her sassiness and extra-fine piping skills,
*baker Adam Goldstein once sold produce to Duff,
*their cakes really do taste good, all 50 flavors,
*although edible, fondant is rarely eaten
* employees frequently wash their hands even if their actions are not part of the final show.

Not exactly a cook book, this tell-all volume does include some of the bakery’s more unusual techniques and tools that shape those fabulous cake creations.

What’s a scrap book without pictures: collages of cakes, childhood snaps, bakery diagrams, a cake centerfold, fan mail and much much more.  However, some reviewers complain that there are just too many photos (“overwhelming to the eye”)  and  many are just too small. (Especially the double fold-out spread of seven years of cakes!!)

First and foremost, this book is Duff’s story, his childhood, schooling, founding of CCC and how the reality show originated.  But CCC would not exist with out its creative staff so three pages are devoted to each person. The cast and crew profiles, penned by each individual, ring true in contrast to the stiffness of the network executives.

Here again, reviewers say it’s just too much detail:  “I don’t care to see childhood photos of all the CCC employees nor do I find it entertaining”.

“Unfortunately this book didn’t undergo the same editing process” as the weekly show – 22 minutes culled from 150 hours of video footage.  Granted this hefty coffee table book presents an overload of information, but don’t expect it to read like a novel.  It’s nonfiction, people!!

Ace of Cake junkies will appreciate the comprehensive episode guide on pages 273-297 along with the depiction of the burger, hot dog and fries cake concealed under the drab dust jacket. (Also featured on pp. 212-213 along with its creator, Katherine.)

Bottom Line:  if you enjoy the Food Network show, Ace of Cakes, you’ll find plenty to like in this tell-all volume.