For those of you who regularly read The New Indian Bride, you know how much I LOVE introducing my readers to up-and-coming wedding industry professionals. Well today is no exception! Allow me to introduce dazzling cake artist Natasha Amiri. Natasha and I work together and were surprise to recently discover that we both serve weddings in our own way – me through blogging wedding inspirations and realities and Natasha through baking and designing beautiful wedding cakes! It was a match made in heaven and we have been chatting about weddings ever since! Now it is your turn to get to know this San Francisco based cake artist.
TNIB: How did you start baking cakes?
Natasha: My co-worker had gotten engaged, so I decided to surprise her with a cake. I went to Michaels (craft store) to shop for some cake pans and ended up staying for 2 hours, hypnotically entranced by all the cake possibilities showcased in front of me. After coming to my senses I came out of Michaels with 3 cake pans, a box of fondant and 3 shades of purple food coloring. I went to Safeway and bought 4 boxes of cake mix and began the process. Eight hours later I had a 3 tiered cake that actually didn’t look to bad. My parents woke up and were thoroughly shocked when opening the fridge, and the same went for the my friends at work. Everyone suggested I try making another to see what else I was capable of, and well, here I am today!
TNIB: How long do wedding cakes take to make?
Natasha: Now that I don’t make my cakes from a box anymore, and I have become a perfectionist, a cake can take anywhere from 5 -9 hours.
TNIB: Do you enjoy collaborating with Brides and Grooms to create the cake design?
Natasha: I absolutely love the collaboration! It’s so funny that my current consultations with the wedding couples have entailed the groom having more of a say then the bride! But yes, this is one of biggest days of their lives so it’s completely invigorating to hear their family and relationship history to help them create a beautiful masterpiece which reflects all of that joy. The only hard part I would say is having the bride and groom agree! What makes it easy is knowing that your making their wish come true, and even finding a way to make their wedding cake more extravagant than they even ever imagined for their particular budget.
TNIB: What trends are you seeing in wedding cakes or what trends do you want to see more of?
Natasha: I see more and more couples veer away from the classic white; a trend that I hope continues. It never made much sense to me to have such a plain wedding cake. Honestly, when I see those, I just feel as though it’s a blank canvas waiting for me to put my touch to it. Although I DO, and will gladly make whatever , I prefer more artistic expression. It is YOUR wedding, so why not express who you are in your cake as well? In terms of trends, I see a lot of younger couples wanting cupcakes, and of course for summer weddings I have a lot of requests for fresh orchids. You can never go wrong with fresh colorful flowers!
TNIB: Now tell us, what’s your favorite cake to eat?
Natasha: Two Words: Red Velvet!
Doesn’t that peacock extravaganza knock your socks off! Wowza is all I can say! Thank you Natasha for gracing The New Indian Bride with your beautiful cakes. To learn more about Natasha visit www.cakesbyshabnam.com or email her directly at cakesbyshabnam@gmail.com.
