Thursday, December 22, 2011

Mark Joseph Cakes featured in The Knot magazine, Fall 2011



White hydrangeas perched atop a pale yellow cake with 3D ribboned appliques.
A cake with 'a lot.'



Yellow graphic flowers with a white lacy overpiping on a white cake.
A cake with 'a little.'



As seen on the pages of The Knot, Fall edition 2011.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Mark Joseph Cakes meets Tiffany & Co. - Holidays, NYC Style

Made for Tiffany & Co., this entirely edible gingerbread carousel revolves and lights up. It will be on display in the VIP Salon at the Fifth Avenue Flagship store throughout the holiday season. This piece was custom-made to match the spectacular holiday windows.


Wednesday, December 7, 2011

MJC Creates Larger than Life Showpiece

David Stark Design and Production recently pulled off a birthday party with life size installations representing the guest of honor's milestones. She was married in 1988 and we were asked to make this show-stopping piece reminiscent of her wedding.


Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Stunning St. Regis Hotel Wedding has Cake to Match!

This architecturally intriguing confection was made for a recent wedding at the lovely New York City St. Regis Hotel.



A little bit closer, please...



How about some of that detail?

Monday, November 21, 2011

Jazz great Wynton Marsalis celebrates...


with a Mark Joseph Cake!

We were privileged to be asked recently to provide a cake for the 50th birthday celebration of Wynton Marsalis at Jazz at Lincoln Center.



Sunday, November 13, 2011

"Cake Makers" Mark and Leslie grace the Winter New York Magazine Wedding Edition

There is good press and then there is great press. We had the good fortune of being contacted by the editors of New York Magazine and were asked to be their feature in the Winter edition of the New York Magazine Weddings issue: Ask the Experts-The Cake Makers. It was our pleasure to talk about what we do. We hope you enjoy reading the interview.

The Cake Makers

“Mark has been doing this since he was in diapers. He’s made everything you’ve experienced in a four-star restaurant or a French patisserie—even the croissants.”


Mark and Leslie Randazzo, Owners of Mark Joseph Cakes

Let’s cut to the chase: I have never eaten a wedding cake that was both gorgeous and tasty.
Leslie: You haven’t?!
Mark: That’s our whole mission: We want cakes to taste just as good as they look. A lot of decorators who make beautiful cakes come from art backgrounds, and people who make great-tasting cakes are bakers but don’t have the backgrounds of artistic decorators. We like to bring all that together into one fantastic package.

How do you zero in on a client’s taste?
Leslie: When a client comes in, I sit them down and say, “I want to know everything about your wedding—don’t worry if you think you’re boring me with the details.” I start to find out who they are as people, and through that I get to know their tastes and personalities. We also show them our portfolio, but that’s more about them deciding if they trust us.

What’s the most elaborate wedding cake you’ve done?
Mark: One of my favorites had cascading wildflowers, not the usual roses and peonies. The client wanted thistles and dahlias, which made it really special.

How long does a project like that take?
Mark: The flowers alone take a couple weeks. You have to make each individual petal, let it dry, and then dust it with the right color and assemble it.

Do you have nightmares about wedding guests backing into cakes?
Leslie: Oh my God, that’s my worst nightmare. Mark: For me, that’s fixable. We go on-site with all our deliveries and bring an emergency kit. You have to keep a straight mind and get the work done. I try not to freak out.

Emergency kit? You guys sound like EMTs.
Leslie: That’s what our clients are paying us for. Your wedding day is—hopefully—a one-time thing. Our name is attached to it, and we take that as seriously as clients would hope we would.

How do I tell in advance if my cake maker is going to be that committed?
Leslie: There is a lot of instinct involved. Do you get a strong sense that they take their work seriously and take pride in their product? Do they come to work with goals of perfectionism? If we’re here at four in the morning and something is still not perfect, we are going to stay till five in the morning. We never give up on our product. No matter what you do, if you want to be the best at it, it shows.

What’s trendy in wedding cakes right now?
Leslie: People are really getting into salted-caramel buttercream. I see it in gelato, cookies, you name it.

How do you feel about your work being decimated at the end of the night?
Mark: It makes me feel good to see people eating it. If I didn’t want people to eat my creations, I would be a sculptor.

Do you ever get requests for sugar-free cakes?
Mark: Never. I think that would make my heart stop.



Monday, October 31, 2011

Leslie and Mark on the town with Martha Stewart Weddings and The Knot!

It was a busy October evening for us, networking at two major NYC events in one night. First was the Martha Stewart Weddings Industry Party at the Omnimedia headquarters where everyone who is anyone in weddings will appear. Mark met Martha and we had a wonderful time with guests and vendors.

Then off to the New York Public Library, a beautiful venue in its own right, where The Knot Gala was held. We met up with their wonderful editor Anja Winnika.



Mark with other cake greats Kate Sullivan and Ron Ben Israel.




Mark just being himself at the Martha Stewart Weddings event.



The New York Public Library, site of The Knot Gala.



The couple behind Mark Joseph Cakes at The Knot Gala, enjoying another fun industry event.



Mark is joined by lovely Knot editor, Anja Winnika.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Chess Anyone!



A cake for every chess fan!

Monday, May 9, 2011

Welcome to The Guggenheim



This past week, we participated in The American Cancer Society's fund-raising event, Taste of Hope. We decided to make a replica of The Guggenheim Museum because of its beautiful and unique architecture... and because it's an iconic New York City structure for a very NYC event! The event was a huge success and enjoyed by all... if you didn't go last year, make sure to go next year. You won't be disappointed!

Contemporary Cascade of Flowers



For this wedding cake, we created over a hundred sugar flowers and spiraled them around. The wedding took place at the DeSeversky Mansion, a stunning and traditional historic mansion.

Dusty Rose



For a wedding at the Bowery Hotel with a soft, romantic feel, we created a cake with piped lace on a pale dusty rose background. The sugar flowers were made to match those in the table centerpieces: peonies, hydrangeas, viburnum, and white lilac.

NYC Skyline



For international clients coming to New York City from Rome for a destination wedding, there was no question that they wanted to incorporate the NYC skyline onto their wedding cake as part of the theme! Yellow was used in keeping with the soft, spring color scheme (and to make it a bit unpredictable).

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Best Of Weddings



Mark Joseph Cakes has been recognized as The Knot's Best of Weddings 2011. We are so honored, especially because it was brides who voted for us!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Mark Joseph Cakes Contributes to Wedding Style Book!


We are honored to be featured in The Knot Ultimate Wedding Lookbook! It is a beautiful new book about wedding style and an A to Z guide to wedding planning that brides-to-be will love!

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Sushi Cake



For a client who is a sushi enthusiast (maybe even a fanatic), we made this cake to celebrate his birthday. It comes complete with wasabi and pickled ginger, all made of sugar. We were pleased to find out that he got a huge kick out of it!