I found a survey where customers told which purveyors of bridal goods
and services they were happiest with. Under wedding cakes, the winner
was a woman (name two words) who makes a lot of cakes for Martha
Stewart. I cant find the survey again and I have forgotten the woman's
name. I think it was something like Wanda or Wendy. But it was just
two words (her name), not a fancy title.

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Request for Question Clarification by bobbie7-ga on 01 Oct 2002 20:57 PDT

Hi

The closest name I found for wedding cakes is Gail Watson? She seems
to fit the description. Is this correct?

Thanks

--Bobbie7-ga

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Clarification of Question by marguerite-ga on 02 Oct 2002 03:35 PDT

No, I found Gail Watson too (all over the place!) The woman doesn't
appear to advertise on the web, as Watson does. I think she's busy
enough without it. She was initially recommended to me through
Callaghan Catering. Thank you for your efforts. Marguerite.

Hi marguerite,

I believe that you are thinking of Sylvia Weinstock. She does have a
website, in conjunction with the wedding site The Knot. Her contact
information is as follows:

Sylvia Weinstock Cakes
273 Church Street 
New York, NY 10013
    
PHONE: 212.925.6698    
FAX: 212.925.5021
EMAIL: Sylvia@SWCakes.com
Website: http://www.theknot.com/ADVB_SW1.html

The site has lots of information and photos--both yummy and
functional--on Sylvia and her cakes. Here is just a bite:

CAKE TYPES
Chocolate Cake
Yellow Cake
Yellow Poppy Seed
White Cake
Banana Cake
Carrot Cake
Hazelnut Cake
Almond Cake
Fruit Cake
Pistachio Cake

CAKE FILLINGS
Chocolate Mousse
Chocolate Ganache
Vanilla Cream
Gianduja (chocolate hazelnut)
Mocha
Raspberry Cream
Strawberry Cream
Cream Cheese Filling
Grand Marnier with Apricot
Praline Smooth or with Bressilie
Lemon Mousse
Italian Cherries
Whipped Cream with Fresh Strawberry or Raspberry

TEXTURE OF ICING
Smooth Finish
Cornelli Finish (like lace)
Lattice Work (like wicker)
Basket Weave
Dotted Swiss
Grouped Dotted Swiss

CAKE PRICING
“The projected number of sugar flowers required for decoration
determines the price structure for Ms. Weinstock's cakes. The number
of portions to be served determines the size of the cake, which
dictates the area requiring decoration. The flowers require skilled,
labor-intensive craftwork and are the most costly component. Current
pricing for the cakes starts at $10 (U.S.) per portion.

ORDERING A CAKE
“Cakes must be ordered in advance. By appointment, clients can view
photographs of cakes to determine the style they prefer. The company
produces about 20 cakes per week, depending upon the size of the
ordered cakes. Once that limit has been booked, no additional orders
are accepted for that week. A 50% deposit confirms an order, with the
balance due five days prior to the delivery date. Spring and fall are
the busiest times of the year, while mid-winter and mid-summer are
slowest.

CAKE DELIVERY
“Cakes have been successfully shipped by air from New York to the rest
of the United States, plus London, Milan, Paris, and Madrid. The total
cost is $100 for delivery to the airport, plus the amount charged by
the airline. Air shipment requires a nonstop flight from the New York
area to the delivery destination.”



Additional Resources:

A Zagat survey naming her the cake winner is reported by ABC news:

“Zagat's has a new survey the 2003 New York City Marketplace. The book
lists the best merchants in the city, from exotic produce to
gingerbread houses and everything in between.”

“The grand dame of the table was the a lemon cake with butter cream
icing and sugar sculpted flowers by the cake winner, Sylvia
Weinstock.”

Zagat's Tells Us About The Best Markets In NYC
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/news/WABC_lifehere_081402zagats.html



She is also mentioned in a survey in the book “Bridal Bargains: New
York Wedding Costs” by Denise and Alan Fields:

“Wedding Cake by 1,500.00
Sylvia Weinstock Cakes Ltd.”
http://www.windsorpeak.com/bridalbargains/nyweddingcosts.htm



A little about how she got her start:

“Sylvia Weinstock has been creating layered masterpieces for nearly
twenty years. The company came into existence by chance after she
baked a wedding cake for her daughter's friend. The bride-to-be, who
operated a take-out food shop in the Chelsea area of New York City,
was so taken with the cake that she put it into the display window for
everyone to see. As luck would have it, a chef passing by who worked
for a well known caterer inquired about the beautiful cake. Soon
Sylvia was getting orders from every caterer and hotel banquet manager
in town and her business was launched!”
Everydaykitchen.com
http://www.everydaykitchen.com/bios/weinstock.htm


A CNN.com article about Ms. Weinstock, and a review of her new book:
http://www.cnn.com/2000/FOOD/news/02/09/sylvia.weinstock/


I hope this will be helpful to you marguerite. If you are the lucky
bride who will be enjoying the Sylvia Weinstock wedding cake, Best
Wishes!! Should you require clarification of any of the above, please
do not hesitate to ask.

Regards,

Beth   

Search criteria:
I knew the name Sylvia Weinstock, so this was where I began my search.

Another cake artist in NYC who is quite well-known and well-regarded
is Colette Peters.  She was a designer for Tiffany's, and designed
cakes for their books, Tiffany Taste and The Tiffany Wedding. She's
also written a number of her own books on wedding cakes and cake
decorating.  She's won many awards, as well.  She doesn't advertise
much, but she does have a website:
www.colettescakes.com.

Her work has been published in many places, including (from her
website):
"Her unique cakes have been featured in a variety of publications
including the New York Times, Town & Country, Brides, Victoria, Food &
Wine, Pastry Art & Design and American Cake Decorating Magazine, just
to name a few. She has served as a food-stylist for Ladies’ Home
Journal, Women’s Day, and Good Housekeeping. "

Her website gives some examples of her work - she does some very
imaginative work, as well as come incredibly elegant work (like, the
Christmas windows for Tiffany - all created from icing and sugar
paste.  She does a great deal of celebrity work - her website
mentions:

"Colette has created many cakes for celebrities, such as Bette Midler,
Donald Trump, Al Pacino, Joan Rivers and Sam Donaldson. The cake
Colette created for the wedding of Marie-Chantal Miller to Prince
Pavlos of Greece in England was reproduced for the Oprah Winfrey Show,
on which Colette appeared."

She is currently teaching at the French Culinary Institute:
http://www.frenchculinary.com/subpages/aboutfci/meet7.html#peters
but is also still creating custom cakes through Colette's Cakes in
NYC.

I can personally attest to both her amazing artistic ability as well
as her lovely personal touches - she did our wedding cake when we were
married in NYC in 1989.  We had a fairy-tale winter wedding in Central
Park - her cakes only added to the magic.  She did an extraordinarily
elegant wedding cake as well as an amazing and creative groom's cake
for us.  The wedding cake was a 3-part white-on-white design covered
with exact sugar replicas of my flowers, and the groom's cake (we were
married on my husband's birthday) was made to look like a birthday
present - with wrapping paper themed to my husband's love of sailing. 
The groom's cake looked so much like a real gift, dozens of people
actually left their wedding gift on the table next to it - thinking it
was the gift table.

Working with her before the wedding was a pure joy.  She gave us
exactly what we were looking for - something we couldn't seem to find
anywhere else.  She was gracious and helpful, and always patient with
an anxious bride - she truly wanted to please us, and she succeeded
wildly.  I personally recommend her as highly as I possibly can.

Whomever you select to design your cake - I hope you're as happy with
them as I still am with Colette - even now, almost 13 years later, her
cakes are one of my fondest memories of my wedding.  When I see her
books in the bookstore, I still smile.  Best of luck!

I realize this is way later than the question was written, but the
person I believe you are looking for is Wendy Kromer.  Her website is
http://www.wendykromer.com

She is the most notable wedding cake maker for Martha.

Good luck.