CakeTown by Anna Meyer

In the summer of 2008, amidst a group of friends, the Universal Truth that cake is good-–bacon is better, set me on a quest to concoct the perfect bacon dessert. Branching out to Applewood Bacon Pie, Praline Bacon, Bacon Cookies and more, the list of desserts grew as I entered the field of professional cake decorating. in Sculpture from Kansas City Art Institute, an M.A. in Art History from the Un

iversity of Missouri, two decades of baking experience, and a rad sense of humor, the requests for unique party cakes and wedding cakes became pretty-happy-cakes: anything from ALF cupcakes to Predator, to the inappropriate to baby showers. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to me, desserts were becoming my enemy. In 2009, I was diagnosed with extensive food allergies (to the whole world, really), including 7 of the top 8 allergens, as well as rice, corn, potatoes, meat, poultry, yeast and chocolate–simply, everything normal people eat. Described by friends as a “foodie,” and an avid fan of beer, the revelation was shocking, and required a lengthy readjustment period as I left food as I knew it. Luckily, as a “foodie” (which I guess means I really like food), I use my decades of experience to eat, and allow others to eat, as close to “normal” as possible. In my CakeTown, the terms wheat-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, etc., never sacrifice flavor and question the idea of “health food.”

At CakeTown, you can have your cake , and eat it too.