SoFlo Cake Expo 2019
What is SoFlo?
SoFlo is the United States largest cake show hosted in Miami, Florida; the original and first ever state to have a held a cake and candy expo for vendors and competitors!
Every year, cake artists from all across the globe travel to the show to compete and show off their artistry, whilst others come to do demonstrations and teach classes or even judge at the event!
Whatever the reason SoFlo is up there with the best of the best as far as cake shows are concerned and every year it only gets bigger and better!
Huge merit for the success of the show stateside is definitely due to head judge Nicholas Lodge, who is trying to create a unified method in the way the cakes are being judged and scored. Therefore, it can be seen more and more throughout the cake shows in the US becoming very similar to Cake International in the UK, where cake artists are awarded Gold, Silver, Bronze, or Highly Recommend in addition to a first, second, and third for each category.
SoFlo meets TV
Not only was the show again another huge success but the Food Network were there to film the entire exciting adventure!! They are currently working on a documentary of cake artists which includes the likes of Reva Alexander-Hawk of Merci Beaucoup fine cakes and Pasties, Timbo Sullivan of Cakes by Timbo, Drew Padalecki of Drew Padalecki Cake Designs, and CakeFlix tutor Danette Kessler of Danette’s Creative Corner.
Each of these cake artists specializes in different areas of the cake industry. This group of “Cakers” overall did amazing at SoFlo: Reva took home a Silver and Third Place in the Wedding cake category, Timbo received a gold and Third Place in the Sculpted cake category, Drew, unfortunately, had a “caketastrophe” and it never made it to the table (it happens to us all right?), and Danette received a gold and first place in the ‘Cakes in Motion’ and ‘Gravity Defying’ categories.
There were even a few CakeFlix tutors and famous names from the cake world there who were kind enough to share their experiences of the show with CakeFlix tutor Danette Kessler for us…
Karen Keaney
“Soflo was an amazing show, so well organized, I loved all the little touches, like the free bottled water and pens that everyone received. The classes were organized with military precision, a massive undertaking in itself as there were over 100 classes and demos! I brought a competition piece with me, I couldn’t resist! I entered the non-cake category and was super happy to receive gold and first place. The theme was realistic animals native to Florida, so I chose baby alligators, they were nice and small and came as my hand luggage. Soflo is in my calendar for next year already, it was a great experience! “
Karen Keaney’s SoFlo winner
Michelle Smith
“I love the show because it’s organized so well, and creates a lot of opportunities for teachers, sponsors, volunteers and students to work alongside each other and have an amazing experience! …And of course, it’s great fun! The mix of people that come to the show from all over the world is truly incredible! This was my second year, and I will continue to come over for the show as long as they’ll have me! The atmosphere is fabulous in the vendor hall, there is a lot to see and do, and so many demonstrations with products and techniques for people to learn from.”
“Having been on the judging team for the past two years, I’m always honoured and proud to be asked firstly and to judge on the day alongside head judge Chef Nicholas Lodge. My team judges the Professional Wedding Cake category section of the competition, and this year we also judged the new Innovation category.”
“I love judging because I am very detail-oriented, passionate and also open and willing to learn from my fellow judges, as we all have our different niches and strengths. I take it really seriously, and thoroughly enjoy the process each time. Most people don’t realize quite how intensive it is, and how long the process can be, but it’s a very rewarding one! It’s great to be able to see and study all the different entries, and techniques, and talk about what we think, giving positive points and honest, constructive feedback.”
SoFlo judge and CakeFlix tutor Michelle Smith
Rosie from Cake Masters Magazine
And last but not least is our very own Rosie Mazumber from Cake Master’s Magazine who traveled all the way from the UK just to be here at SoFlo. Rosie is always such a fun and friendly face to see at the shows with tons of positive energy! Along with her was Louise Pass who is now the new official Cake Master’s US Representative! Louise is originally from Clacton-on-Sea United Kingdom but became a United States citizen right before the show on April 17, 2019! A huge congratulations to her! She currently lives in San Diego, CA with her husband and in addition to being Cake Masters US Representative she also runs Fancy A Treat. She is just the happiest and most wonderful women you can meet! This was her first time in this position coming to SoFlo alongside Rosie and this is what they had to say about their experience,
“This is the 4th year Cake Masters Magazine has been to SoFlo! It was great to have Sara from Sara’s Sweets Austin and Jessa from Abstract Edible Art doing a LIVE cake build in the Cake Masters booth. We loved the balancing Fred the Flamingo on Marc the Manatee! SoFlo was a great place to meet cake artists from around the world and we especially loved the School of Cake interactive photo area.”
Also coming from the UK was Debbie White and Kerrie McCarthy with the Cake Decorating company and bringing to the US, Cake Lace and Spectrum Flow to Dream and Color!! What can I say about these ladies other than they are AMAZING! They sure had a time of it when they had a bit of trouble getting there shipment of colours here but no one would have ever guessed it because they were so lovely when they greeted you with open arms and smiles. These are two very tough and determined women! I have nothing but admiration for them both and we are so happy they made it! I only hope they got to enjoy some of that warm Florida sun!
The Cake Masters team at SoFlo 2019
Mitchie Curran of Mitchie’s Munchies
“SoFlo is a shopping mecca! I often recommend this show for vendors who need to get their products in the hands of cake decorators asap. Attendees seem to be eager to shop and take as many classes as they can in such a short time frame. The show itself is a production that’s pretty interesting to see from the inside out. It’s bright, fun, and entertaining. This was my first year teaching and judging at SoFlo. Usually, I am working directly with a vendor and barely have time to explore. This year was an outstanding experience and my fellow jurors were terrific company. It’s always fun to see what other likeminded individuals are creating, you never know who will be starting the next trend! My favorite entries to judge are those that are interactive. If you’ve never experienced SoFlo, it’s a definite check off on your bucket list next year!”
As you can see this was such an amazing experience for all that attended. Whether it was to compete, teach, judge, or just check out all the vendors and get lots of cake goodies, it is definitely an event of a lifetime! I hope to see everyone next year and hopefully new faces as well!! Until next year, happy caking!!
Have you attended SoFlo before? Would you like to? lets us know your thoughts about the event in the comments section below.
