Sylvia Weinstock is widely known as the “Queen of Cakes” for her revolutionary and impeccable designs. She started inventing her intricate and delicious confections long before wedding cakes became an important icon; she may in fact be the reason why present-day bride's long for something lavish and ultra-chic.
Mrs. Weinstock never attended culinary school, learning the craft from neighbors who lived in the Hunter area. In the earlier stages of her life, she was an elementary school teacher and spent much of her free time catering to her 3 daughters. She was soon taken in by retired pastry chef, George Keller, who showed her how to make yeast cakes, tarts, and pies. She studied hundreds of recipes by his side for 4 years, and then, with her newly acquired knowledge, obtained an apprenticeship with a pastry chef in Manhattan. She went on to open up her own shop, meeting cake tradition head-on with innovation in such a way that revolutionized bride's expectations forever.
Mrs. Weinstock has been serving the bridal community for the past 30 years, becoming an influential person not just in New York society, but also with celebrities and royalty on an international level. She has been featured in various magazines such as Town and Country, Martha Stewart, Perfect Wedding Guide, Brides, and Modern Bride. She uses only the finest ingredients, priding herself on the fact that each and every cake tastes as good as it looks.
WS: Which celebrities have you designed wedding cakes for?
Sylvia: Off the top of my head: Michael Douglas & Catherine Zeta-Jones, the Saudi Arabia royal family, the Kennedys, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Donald Trump . . . There are so many I can't remember them all.
1WeddingSource: Are most of your designs original – or do you spend more time re-creating old patterns?
Sylvia Weinstock: At my shop, we always do an original cake design; if we were making the same pattern over and over again, we would be in the production business, not the cake business.
WS: Which of your designs tends to be the most successful?
Sylvia: It differs from bride to bride, depending on what they need and what they want. No two designs are entirely the same, because everyone wants something different.
WS: What is the best tip you can give to a bride who is looking for a wedding cake?
Sylvia: The best tip I can give to a bride is to find a reputable baker and give them all the information necessary (colors, flowers, etc); next step is to have a tasting session so that they can figure out what they like. You want to go with a baker that has a prestigious reputation, because you don't want to find out at the last minute that they're not going to do it!
WS: How do you base price (originality, height, embellishments, etc)?
Sylvia: For a designer cake from our shop, we typically charge about $17/person.
WS: On average, how many cakes do you make in a given week?
Sylvia: We make about 20 cakes per week. I have 19 people on my staff helping me with my creations. Ten ladies who do the flowers, two that do the icing, and two who decorate.
WS: How far ahead does a bride need to contact you in order to have a cake made?
Sylvia: She can contact me as early as necessary, whenever she's ready.
WS: In terms of planning, do you have any tips for brides?
Sylvia: Never borrow money for a wedding. Do it in your own style and don't be competitive or feel you have to have what your neighbors had. Relax and enjoy it. It is a party, a celebration that is five hours of your life. When it all comes down to it, it's really about a marriage. (Kristy Miller)
WS: Can you modify a cake to fit a bride’s budget?
Sylvia: Of course we can; however if her budget is very limited, we may not be able to create a designer cake for her – every cake bears the Weinstock trademark, and thus we want to be proud of every single design that goes out the door. If we don't have much to work with, this is very difficult.
WS: Which wedding cake, for you, was the most troublesome to make and deliver – and why?
Sylvia: Every single cake is a new experience, and each one calls for very specific attention.
WS: What type of frosting do you recommend for optimal taste purposes? Appearance purposes?
Sylvia: I only like butter cream, therefore I only use butter cream frosting with my designs. I personally dislike fondant (it's taste leaves something to be desired) and so I will not serve it. If you work hard enough at butter cream, you can achieve a smooth consistency comparable to the fondant finish.
WS: Do you offer preservation services for brides who want to save the top tier for their anniversary? . . . If so - at what cost, on average?
Sylvia: It's very simple. Preservation is simply a matter of wrapping the cake in saran wrap, making sure it's airtight and then freezing it.
WS: Is there a limit of the amount of people for cake tasting?
Sylvia: We don't limit the number of people you want to bring along; however, if you bring twenty people it could be impossible to come to a decision!
WS: Do you normally charge per slice or for the entire cake?
Sylvia: We normally charge per person ($17 - $20 /person)
WS: What type of cake would you recommend for an early afternoon wedding reception?
Sylvia: If it's lunch, you want something light. Time of day, location, and season is important. A ladies luncheon is one thing, a male bachelor party is something else. Men tend to favor the bolder the flavors, such as caramel, chocolate, hazelnut. Women, on the other hand, like the fruits. We try very hard to accommodate both. Decor also plays an important role. Where is the place, what does it look like? Is it dark, or at the beach? What does the reception hall look like? Is it buffet or sit down? These questions are very important. (Interview by Kristy Miller)
WS: How long do you give yourself to make each cake creation?
Sylvia: All of the flowers are made in advance and then stored in the freezer until everything else is complete. Every single flower constitutes time and effort, and thus the amount of time is entirely conditional to what the bride wants.
WS: What’s the fee for a bride who wants an entirely customized wedding cake?
Sylvia: Every single one of my cakes are 100% original.
WS: Do you recommend that brides use sugar-paste flowers or real flowers on their cakes?
Sylvia: I don't like to use real flowers, because they could contain pesticides. We handcraft each flower from sugar-paste for every single cake we create. We're in the confection business, and making flowers is what we do best.
WS: What's the tallest cake you've ever created?
Sylvia: The tallest cake I made was for a Middle Eastern wedding; it was seventeen feet tall, and served 2,025 people.
WS: Is it common for couples to ask for “faux” wedding tiers in order to gain height on their wedding cakes?
Sylvia: In my shop, we don't make fake tiers to substitute for the actual cake, we will only use them to create aesthetic “space” in a design.
WS: How long have you been in the business for?
Sylvia: I've been doing this for over 30 years.
WS: What made you want to get in the cake industry?
Sylvia: I love doing it; I love having an audience to which I can present my creations.
WS: How did your name become so celebrated?
Sylvia: I have never advertised, it has been entirely word of mouth, and wonderful press. I have known Martha Stewart for years, and have worked with Conde Nast for years; the same with Town and Country. (Kristy Miller)
WS: Where's the furthest you've delivered a wedding cake?
Sylvia: Japan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Ireland, Switzerland – all over the world. It's a matter of getting the wedding cake through customs. It's typically the wedding planner's responsibility to make the shipping arrangements and make sure that the cake arrives in perfect condition.
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