A shop owned by a professional cake maker from Rochdale has been crowned the nation’s Celebration Cake Business of the Year at the Baking Industry Awards 2015 – the industry’s equivalent of the Oscars.
Brown’s Handcrafted Cakes owned by Natasha Brown in St. Mary’s Gate, Rochdale, beat off stiff competition from the upper crust of the British baking industry to capture the award.
The achievement was recognised last week in front of more than 800 industry guests at a gala awards ceremony at London’s Park Lane Hilton, as Natasha was presented with the award by television presenter and star of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, Claudia Winkleman, and Robin Mountain, Managing Director of Renshaw, the award sponsors.
To win the prize, a team from Brown’s Handcrafted Cakes had to work together to make a cake based on the 1970s Studio 54 Disco in New York which had been chosen as the theme for the whole awards evening.
“Studio 54 was fascinating – a nightclub for the rich and famous enjoying music, dancing and debauchery, so we depicted Andy Warhol painting the entrance, with a dusting of dollar bills, while performing on-stage are Village People – four dancing to their hit, YMCA, and two on Harley Davidsons,” said Natasha.
The cake also featured two girls in 70s costumes dancing the night away, John Travolta striking his Saturday Night Fever pose in his famous white suit and, with dawn rising on a backdrop of marzipan skyscrapers, the man in the moon appearing in the sky.
Brown’s Handcrafted Cakes has become so popular with local people in Rochdale that Natasha is taking on new staff and having her front-of-shop redecorated to reflect her business’s growing success.
Now in its 28th year, the annual Baking Industry Awards are the premier event in the UK bakery calendar and have been recognising industry excellence since 1987. Run by British Baker magazine, prizes are awarded across 11 categories including Speciality Bread Product, Craft Business Award and Bakery Manufacturer of the Year.
Studio 54 became legendary in New York during the 1970s because, in addition to Andy Warhol, it was patronised by other international celebrities like the Rolling Stones and Michael Jackson.
Martyn Leek, Editor of British Baker magazine, said: “We may not have those names here tonight, nor will we have Bianca Jagger ride through the room on a white stallion, but we have our own stars – our finalists who have spent a lifetime honing their trade.
“We are here this evening to reward them for their hard work, their persistence and their skills and I’d like to thank all our finalists for entering the Baking Industry Awards. This is a celebration because the people in this room represent the very best in bakery.”
