"Behind the Scenes" at Amphora Bakery

We are excited to introduce our Chef Decorator Juan Lucas, a.k.a. Wonder Boy, Juan! From his routes in New Jersey, were he practiced his decorating craftsmanship alongside celebrity Pastry Chef, Buddy Valastro, a.k.a. “Cake Boss”, in the kitchens of the internationally acclaimed bakery, Carlos Bakery, to joining the Amphora Team in 2013, Juan has mastered his confectionary artist.

We would like to share a candid interview we conducted with Juan sharing his experience and influences within the cake decorating world!

How long have you been decorating cakes?

Just shy of five years. I started working with cakes in March or April of 2010.

What are your favorite types of cakes to design?

I actually really enjoy designing tiered wedding cakes and finding different ways to make a composition work. But when it comes to working on a cake and getting my hands dirty, I love working as a sculptor and creating organic shapes with a lot of emotion or movement; like a portrait bust or an animal in motion.

What would you still like to accomplish?

I've always wanted to tap in to the realm of food as modern art. Creating abstract pieces that play with color and space would be such a thrilling challenge!

Who has influenced your style? What has been the most difficult challenge for you to overcome?

I didn't go to culinary school. I went to art school, so I think of my influences as an art student. When it comes to color I think of Lawrence Alma-Tadema's palette.  Piping and paint application, I think of Odd Nerdrum's brush work, and carving and sculpture I think of Auguste Rodin's plane changes.

My biggest challenge was creating clean geometric shapes with buttercream cakes and piping words. Luckily I get to learn a lot from Janet, the resident wedding cake master at Amphora Bakery. Her work is brilliant, inspiring, and intimidating!

What was the turning point in your cake career? What are your favorite cakes you have made?

There is so much more that I want to sculpt out of cake that I feel my turning point is still waiting for me. When I reach that sculpture I'll know.

My favorite cakes have always been the portraits, hands down. I love making a person's likeness to appear like it's a marble bust. I've always wanted to do a cake sculpture of a person but instead of covering it in fondant, I would apply the color in buttercream like they were brush strokes on an impressionist painting. Ha-ha! Is that weird?

What tips would you like to share with other cake decorators? What don't people know about you that you would like to share?

Stop, take a deep breath, and think about the project before starting. Also, nothing makes the process more enjoyable than good music and dancing to it while working.

Also, I am the worst dancer on earth.