At Wednesday’s Third Annual Lake Shore Bake-Off, apprentice pastry chef Julie Romanova made quite a splash with her life-sized cake statue of Edgar Allan Poe. When the judges attempted to slice Romanova’s cake for a taste test, however, they encountered an unusual problem. “I accidentally brought the wrong cake to the Bake-Off,” Romanova sheepishly admitted. “The statue made of actual cake is still in the kitchen of the bakery where I work. I was in such a rush that I brought my practice statue, which is just cardboard and glue covered with a cake frosting called fondant.”
The judges were forced to disqualify Romanova from the contest, although unofficially they praised her creativity and skill.
“Personally, I hate to give the first place prize to a run-of-the-mill cake like this one,” said judge Dmitri Wainwright in reference to the Bake-Off winner, a cake shaped like a giant hamburger, complete with pickles and lettuce. “We see cakes shaped like food every year, and it gets boring. Ms. Romanova surprised and delighted us, and I hope she will return next year with an equally impressive entry.”
Julie Romanova began creating elaborate cakes two years ago after leaving her job in data entry. She is currently working as an apprentice with Maurice and Ralston’s Bakery in downtown Lake Shore. When asked about next year’s competition, she was adamant about one thing.
“Next year, I promise not to feed the judges a dead poet made of cardboard!” she said with a smile.

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