World AIDS Day

These World AIDS Day cookies were made by Kari Arroyo from Yankee Girl Yummies in Arkansas.

BeTeamRed is a collaboration of 200 sugar artists from around the world focusing on World AIDS Day.  This is one post of a series of posts that feature edible creations of cakes and cookies for December 1st, i.e. World AIDS Day.

Please click on the links below to contribute to The Global Fund to support their war on HIV/AIDS , TB, and Malaria in countries in need. 

GoFundMe

BonfireFund T Shirts

You can also purchase  UN Sugar Art Magazine  and  the UN Sugar Art Tutorial Booklet to support The Global Fund.

The World AIDS Day cookies above were made by Kari Arroyo from Yankee Girl Yummies

Kari tells about herself:

“My cookie decorating journey started in the spring of 2011, after deciding to take a break from nursing. I learned the ways of royal icing by reading tutorials and LOTS of trial and error. I continue to learn and push myself creatively. I love putting together tutorials (most recently video tutorials!) so look for those as well!
When I am not in my kitchen, I am busy chasing around 2 boys!”

Made by Yanira Anglada from Cake Therapy in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico.

Yanira talks about the inspiration for the piece:

“The HIV epidemic has touched probably every person I know in one way or another. I remember being young and scared the first time I heard about it, growing up in the 80’s, when people had a lot of questions and unfounded myths about AIDS. I soon learned that it certainly could touch anyone, when my uncle got diagnosed in the early 90’s.”

“This humble creation is a celebration of Cuba, the first country in the world to receive validation from WHO [World Health Organization] that it has eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and a celebration for children and families everywhere.”

“This wonderful achievement shows that ending the AIDS epidemic is possible. This is a major victory in the fight against HIV and sexually transmitted infections, and an important step towards having an AIDS-free generation.”

Made by Jill Wettstein from Jill FCS in Wisconsin.

Made by Rose de Guzman from Couture Cakes by Rose in Warnick, South Carolina.

Made by Marta Torres from The Cookie Lab – Bolachas Decoradas Artesanais in Lisbon, Portugal.

Marta tells us about the inspiration for this cookie:

“The risk of a mother transmitting HIV to a child can be reduced.  With this cookie, which is my sugar version of : ”The Nestling” – original painting by Emily Ballet, 2008, I intend to call the awareness to it, with proper care, breastfeeding does not have to be a risk anymore. With this cookie I see the double protection  a mother can give – the mother protecting the son with her powerful feathered wings, and mother Earth protecting both.

The credits of the Photo goes to: Photograph: Carlos Luz Studio : Luz Crescente, Lda

Marta Torres is originally from Lisbon, Portugal. She is married to a Spaniard and has one daughter who lives in the US with her husband and her son. 

Marta started out her professional career in banking- a completely different world from cookie dough and piping bags-, but after marrying, her husband´s work took her to Brazil, Hong Kong, Japan and Spain. She worked as a free lancer for a few years translating technical manuals for digital equipment, but it was in Japan where she really began to cook and bake for fun, to entertain friends.  

While her daughter attended college in the US, Marta took that opportunity and studied Culinary arts at the Culinary Institute of America. 

While still in Japan, Marta  was invited to collaborate in a project sponsored by the Portuguese Embassy to teach Portuguese Traditional Cooking to locals. She was soon after also invited by an International Cooking School to do the same.  

Her sudden move from Tokyo to Madrid left her jobless. She attended her first cookie decorating class in Madrid and it was more for therapy than anything else.  It wasn’t love at first sight,  royal icing was unfamiliar and challenging. It was only some time later after moving to Portugal that her daughter pushed her to practice and try it again. It was a new culinary art and with a lot of potential for her. 

After 6 hard months of practice, Marta entered Julia Ushers Christmas Cookie Contest and won first prize (Julia Usher´s Cookie Connection site), she became well known among cookie artists and cookie lovers. After seeing her work, Marta started to get invitations to teach cookie decorating all over the world. USA, Switzerland, Italy, Ireland, Spain and Portugal are the next stops for her classes. 

Marta´s work has been featured in magazines, blogs, even national television. A Portuguese Cake Decoration magazine Bolos Decorados created a Special Edition on just her work and other magazines in Spain, France and Portugal also routinely publish her work.  

Marta continues to win awards and was one of the 3 finalists  of The Cookier of the Year 2014 from the site Cookie Connection. This year of 2015, she was nominated as a Finalist for the prestigious Cake Magazine Awards 2015, in the Cookies Category. 

Marta participated in the  “Gardens of the World” group project featuring some of the top baking/culinary artists and is currently involved in 3 other similar projects.  

Royal Icing and cookies has certainly changed her life,  she looks back and then realizes it has only been 2 and a half years since she started decorating cookies but so much has happened between then and now that it is life changing.

Made by Nadia Ka from My little bakery in California.

Nadia tells about herself:

“My name is Nadia, I live in San Diego, CA. My profession is teacher. I have many hobbies: glass painting, card making, cooking, music, all kinds of art and design. The favorite thing I like to do and which has been taking most of my time for the last 3 years is cookie decorating. My favorite decorating technique is lace. All patterns are done by hand. Photos of my work have been published in “Homes and Gardens”, “Cake Central”, “Tortdeco” magazines. I am also an author of “100 party cookies” book.”

“The biggest memorial event this year for me was the CookieCon in Salt Lake City, where I was an instructor. I have met there many talented people from all over the world and made many friends.  Also I am going to teach at San Diego cake show 2016. I hope to meet there also those who are a part of this collaboration with me. It is a great honor to be part of it!”

This Mother and Child Cake was made by Robyn Salisbury from Mad Hen Cakes in Melbourne, Australia.

BeTeamRed is a collaboration of 200 sugar artists from around the world focusing on World AIDS Day.  This is one post of a series of posts that feature edible creations of cakes and cookies for December 1st, i.e. World AIDS Day.

Please click on the links below to contribute to The Global Fund to support their war on HIV/AIDS, TB, and Malaria in countries in need.

GoFundMe

BonfireFund T-Shirts

You can also purchase The UN Sugar Art Magazine and the UN Sugar Art Tutorial Booklet to support The Global Fund.

The World AIDS Day Cake above was made by made by Robyn Salisbury from Mad Hen Cakes.

Here’s what Robyn said about her cake history:

“Like most people I fell into cake decorating by accident. All it took was a teaching colleague asking me to make a cake for her daughter and that was the start of this amazing cake journey.”

“I’m self-taught and have been decorating ‘seriously’ for eighteen months.  In June I took the plunge from making cakes as a hobby to now having a business.”

“I wanted my cake design to reflect the love between a mother and her child.  As a mother I would do  anything to protect my child and to keep them safe and healthy.”

Fun fact:

“My mum and dad are confused as to where this baking and creative talent has come from.”

This World AIDS Day cake was made by Samantha Smith from The Hobby Baker.

This Sleeping Baby Cake was made by Hazel Wong from Hazel Wong Cake Design in Singapore.

Hazel Wong is a cake artist and Satin Ice Artist of Excellence based in Singapore. Her unique creations are often inspired by her bounteous experience in the TV and movie industry. Always bold in colors, the cakes she creates often exhibit an abstract art element. Hazel strives constantly to explore new techniques and adapt her creativity through the art of decorating. Her cake creation is a symphony of perfect design, colors and embellishment.

Her works have been featured in Cake Masters, Cake Central, Cake France Design Magazine, Cake Craft Decoration, American Cake Decorating, Australia CAKE!, DIY Weddings Magazine, Pasteles de ensueño Spanish Magazine and other multiple online accolades.

To learn more about Hazel and her cakes, check out  Hazel Wong Cake Design.

This Mother Daughter Cake was made by Renay Presley Zamora from Sweetface Cakes in Tennessee.

This World AIDS Day cake was made by Nathasja Flapper from Flappergasted Cakes in Heerhugowaard, Netherlands.

Here is Nathasja’s description of her cake:

“This is Katura. A young woman who’s world is collapsing all around her. Her child in her arms died, because she could not get medication. Medication that now costs around 40 cents per day. That 40 cents could have saved her baby, just some lousy 40 cents. Imagine what she must feel.”

“I aimed my piece towards the deaths of children because of AIDS. Medications are very cheap these days. For US it is, not for them, not for the babies and their moms that are suffering from AIDS. A lot of these women don’t have the money, or resourses are simply too far away.”

“To make more contrast: We each spend between 1 and 10 dollars per day on just coffee, to keep us awake or just because of the habit or break during shopping. This is not right, medications are cheap and available, and still those mothers have to lose their children because they can’t get their hands on these meds. This needs to change.”

Nathasja’s description of her cake history:

“I am Nathasja Flapper from  Flabbergasted Cakes. I live in the Netherlands and am home based, I make cakes and give workshops in advanced cake decorating.  My specialty is 3D cakes, realism, figurines, animals in cake or toppers.”

“Im in business since april 2015, but already made cakes in 2014 for friends and family. I started somewhere end 2012/begin 2013, just tried it a few times and gave up, then tried some more and got the hang of it. Since then, it could not get crazy enough and soon I mostly did 3D cakes. I gave my first and second workshop in August this year. I love collaborations and competitions because they really allow me to do what I love, I can get as crazy as I want, without any restrictions, it really does bring up the real artist in me ;)”

This World AIDS Day cake was made by Marissa Sagun from Sophie’s Sweet Shop in California.

Marissa’s description of her cake history and some about herself:

“I am a native of beautiful Southern California.  I started making cakes in 2010 simply for fun and have always loved watching baking shows!  Watching artists create fondant style cakes seemed to be the coolest thing ever!  At first I simply wanted to challenge myself to see if I was capable of making a cake.  And when I did make my first fondant cake for my mother I realized that I was on to something.  Cakes are currently a part time passion.  When I’m not baking cakes I do have a regular 9 to 5 office job where I work as a Website Coordinator for my company’s IT Support Team.  I love to spend my weekends reading, hanging out with family & friends, listening to great music and also watching movies.  Sounds simple, I know, but I’ve got to admit that it doesn’t take much to make me happy!”

“I am such a big foodie person!  I have made it my mission to try as many different ethnic foods as possible.  It’s my way of exploring the world and experiencing cultures without having to get on an airplane.”

Marissa’s description of the inspiration of her cake:

“A lot of different inspirations came to mind when creating my design piece.  The tree for me represents life, history, and growth.  The ribbons as the leaves represents the unity in our stand against this terrible disease.  The globe representing the world and how HIV/AIDS has no barriers or color lines and how we have come together in this fight.  Lasty, it’s topped with a heart of hope.  Hope for a cure, hope for the end of this terrible disease, and a hope of generations born free of HIV.”