Countdown to Kelly Ripa, day 14: A conversation with Kelly from Evil Shenanigans

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It's two weeks exactly until the big day! In 14 days, I'll be plotting and piping in New York with Kelly from Evil Shenanigans and Jessie from Cakespy (and the 12 other food bloggers on the other teams) as we decorate cakes with Kelly Ripa for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. Today we learned that the event, sponsored by Foodbuzz and Electrolux, will indeed be filmed, which means three things: I need a haircut, I must buy some makeup, and the clothing decisions just became a lot more important. No information yet on when or where it might air, but I'll keep you posted as I get details.

Meantime, today I'd like you to get to know my teammate Kelly a little better. Her baking blog, Evil Shenanigans, is just fantastic, and luckily for our team, she is a master cake decorator. She did all of these:

 

 

Pretty amazing, right? Far above my skill level, that's for sure. I plan to let her boss me around in New York all she wants so we have a fighting chance of winning.

Anyway, here's some more about Kelly, interview-style. Just call me Baba Wawa.

Erika: Tell us about your blog. Why did you start it? What's your focus? 
Kelly: I started my blog so my friends and family could keep up with my progress in culinary school. I intended it to be a personal journal of my time in school, but people started to ask for recipes. It evolved from there.

Erika: Are you a lifetime baker, or did you pick it up later on?
Kelly: My mom used to let me help in the kitchen as a child and I loved watching the things I mixed and measured transform into desserts I could eat. That wonder never really went away and three years ago I entered culinary school to expand my passion. I intend, one day, to open a small boutique bakery in Dallas that specializes in pastry, cakes and desserts.

Erika: On a scale of one to 10, how much of a cake decorating rockstar are you?
Kelly: Ummm, 6 or 6.5. There is SO much I do not know, and so much I need to improve on. I want to learn more about fondant, gum paste, and buttercream decorations. I love cake decorating. It is a fantastic  creative outlet for me and the more I do it the better I become!

Erika: What's the most complicated thing you've attempted in the cake decorating arena?
Kelly: Gum paste flowers for a luau cake I did. I had never worked with gum paste before and it was a challenge to make the dough look the way I wanted. Also, my best friend’s wedding cake was a challenge because I baked, assembled, and decorated the cake in about 6 hours AND I did it in England.

Erika: What's the ratio of baking to cooking on your blog?
Kelly: I try for a 50/50 split, but baking may have a slight edge as I love it so much.

Erika: How did you learn to take good food photos, and what kind of camera do you use?
Kelly: First, thank you! You are very kind. I have done some research on photography and learned a lot through trial and error. I shoot with an Olympus E-420 as of December. I love it!

Erika: What do you do with all the food you make to blog about?
Kelly: Most of what you see ends up as dinner/dessert and what we can’t finish goes to our respective offices. I can tell you, my husband and I are pretty popular!

Erika: Your bio says you sang opera in a former life. Care to elaborate?
Kelly: I love to sing and have done so since I was a child. In high school I discovered opera and focused my study in that direction. I majored in Music and Theater in college and wanted to travel and sing all over the globe. Plans changed, however, when I met my future husband and settled down. I still sing, but not anywhere near the level I did ten years ago. I miss it, but I have discovered I love baking, cooking, and recipe creation far more than singing.

Erika: Finish this sentence: "When I meet Kelly Ripa, I'm going to..."
Kelly: Smile like a moron!

Visit Kelly's blog and leave her a comment or two! And watch this space for my upcoming interview with my other teammate, Jessie from Cakespy!