The right cake artist creates a wedding showpiece that screams out the loving couple's personality and leaves taste buds tingling. Today, I’m thrilled to be speaking with one of the best in the business, Chef Dana Herbert of Desserts By Dana. 

Dana’s unique in that he’s trained in both the culinary and pastry arts. He’s the owner of the multi-award-winning bakery Desserts By Dana in Newark, Delaware. He also hosts Date Night with Chef Dana and Little Chefs. Highly sought after by many celebrities, actors, athletes, and political figures, Dana has worked with the likes of Oprah, President-Elect Joe Biden, Ice Cube, Reverend Jesse Jackson, and Micheal Vick to name a few. 

He’s an entrepreneur, author, speaker, and spokesperson who’s racked up numerous honors and awards. Among his accolades include: being named as one of the Top Ten Cake Designers in America, many Best of Awards, participation in the James Beard Celebrity Chef Tour, serving as a member of the national Macy’s Culinary Council, and cooking at Beard House. 

Dana not only attracted massive attention for his big win on TLC’s hit show Cake Boss: Next Great Baker but was also the winner of Rachael Ray’s Celebrity Cake Off. Also, he’s been seen on other networks such as The Cooking Channel, Food Network, and many more. His cake artistry has been featured in Essence, Huffington Post, and countless other bridal publications, national magazines, and websites.

Dana brings his unique perspective and experience to the show today as he and I discuss wedding cakes and tastings. Listen as we dive into designing cakes, helping clients decide on flavors, working with color schemes, choosing a reliable wedding cake artist, and more.

In This Episode: 

[02:35] - Eilena welcomes Dana to the show. He tells us how he got started baking wedding cakes.

[05:26] - What is Dana’s inspiration for designing his wedding cakes? He mentions trends, fashions, and the couple coming together.

[07:25] - Eilena asks about the length and process of creating a wedding cake. From the consultation to delivery, the process takes time.

[11:43] - What happens at a cake tasting? Well, Dana describes what should happen. He asks several questions first to get to know the clients.

[12:42] - Dana delves into color and how he goes about getting a good picture of the clients’ preferred color scheme.

[17:36] - How far in advance does Dana recommend clients do a cake tasting? Here’s what he sees on average and his recommendation for a September/October wedding.

[19:08] - Eilena mentions taking on only so many weddings per year. Dana recalls the week where he and his team took on 17 weddings in a single week!

[22:35] - Hear the tale of the client who insisted on a Tiffany blue buttercream wedding cake.

[24:43] - Eilena asks if Dana has cake designs ready for prospective clients who don’t know what they want.

[29:47] - Dana leaves us with two or three tips to help select a good wedding cake artist. Beware of those with a perfect score!

Relevant Links:

Dana Herbert

Bakery Website | Chef Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

The Wedding Tea

Instagram

The Event Loft

Website | Instagram