What formulates a great cake artist?
A great cake artist breathes life into an idea, they are inspired by other forms of art and the world around them. They take textures, shapes, colors, structures, movement and feeling and they create, but this is just the beginning as cake is both art and food.
Why did I go specifically into cakes?
I’ve always had a flair for the arts, but there was just something about food, the joyful laughter after the groom swipes frosting on the brides nose, the memories of the creamiest frosting and the tartest curds years after an event. The excited smiles of children taking home a personal treat. Food does not simply pass through you, it lingers with you.
What other things interest me?
“The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” That being said, Nature inspires me, going hiking and observing the wild growth or standing in the ocean and being moved by the unpredictable waters, spending hours going through the pieces of the finest museums in NYC. New techniques and mediums intrigue me, ...life is my teacher, the world is my classroom.
Victoria Benjamin grew up in the kitchen, learning to bake her first pie at 7 while hearing stories about her great grandmother filling wash tubs full with handmade and mixed breads, Nana would cover dining room tables with over 50 pies, these stories sparked inspiration and wonder. Victoria always had a passion for food. Creating desserts that complimented different ideas and themes, tailoring them to match the needs of the client is something that Victoria desires to perfect, playing with different flavors, textures and designs, to create the perfect masterpiece.
Victoria started selling custom cakes at the age of 14, watching tutorials, taking elementary classes and practicing constantly. By the time she sold her first wedding cake she was 16. During her Junior year of High-school she took local college courses in Baking and Pastry and Sugar Arts. After High-school Victoria attended the Culinary Institute of America, in Hyde Park NY. She graduated with an Associates in Baking and Pastry Arts, and a Bachelors in Business Management Specialized for Baking and Pastry businesses. During and after this time she worked in various positions surrounding the hospitality industry.
Her passion for "good sweets" never ceased, she is constantly pursuing knowledge which led to her further step into the culinary arts in order to gain a good foundation, but she isn’t afraid to test the boundaries of the classics, or to experiment with the techniques or the trends of different industries like modern art, fashion and architecture, always stopping to admire the roses, and learning to recreate them.
