cakelava, the Oahu years, 2008 to 2009, part 3. Documentation for archival purposes is so important! We always have our memories to accompany each cake, but having professional photos from our Oahu wedding photographers was such a blessing. They captured some of Rick’s best work and as we got more media interest, it felt great to return the favor by sharing their work with publications, as they deserve to be celebrated as well! We recall how silly we felt to “play” in front of the camera with kitchen tools, while posing with Rick’s handpainted “Hawaii” cake, but now we’re so grateful to have a gorgeous photo of this memory from 15 years earlier! Mahalo to our amazing photographers for the memories! #cakelava #cakeartist #cakedesigner #lasvegascakes #hawaiicakes #cakedecorating #hawaiitheme #hawaiiwedding #weddingcake #cake #cakedesign
This heartfelt post is dedicated to everyone who has supported us artistically throughout the cakelava years. Those who have had Rick design their cake, or supported our Extreme Cakeovers book, our Ridiculous TV shows and Cake Challenges, attended Rick’s classes, flown him off-site to create for you, or just made us smile. 😊 You have given us some of the best years of our lives!! After 19 INCREDIBLE years (2005-2024!), and cake shops in Oahu and Las Vegas, Rick and I are retiring and preparing for our next adventure! We will be closing our beloved cakelava studio next month. The last date we will fulfill a cake order is February 3rd. Our sincerest apologies to those we’ve turned away. Rick and I will still be involved in the cake community through media projects. After 30+ years in cake artistry, and thousands of cakes, Rick can’t just leave cake forever and neither can I, and this won’t be our last post! Thank you all for taking this AMAZING journey with us! We’re eternally grateful!! ❤️ Rick and Sasha
At @taobeach . Just another Friday in Vegas!! Rick’s sculpted Lamborghini cake was a hit!! A huge Thank you to our client for the amazing photo! #cakelava #lasvegascakes #lasvegascakeartist #lasvegascakedesigner #sculptedcakes #sculptedcake #lamborghini #lamborghiniaventador #lamborghinicake #cakesculpture #onlyinvegas #vegas #lasvegas #instacake #cakestagram #vegasbaby #lamborghiniaventadorsvj #lamborghinilover #carcake #realisticcake #customcake #luxurycakes #luxurylasvegas
Thank you all for accompanying us on this journey! cakelava, the Oahu years, 2008 to 2009, part 2. During this time, Rick was still largely sculpting in buttercream, and starting to transition more to fondant. Working in buttercream was a big challenge in Hawaii. He was happy to have worked extensively in buttercream while in L.A. (Thank you, Elin Katz and Joan Spitler!)As we were going through our archives, we agreed Sam’s buttercream toilet cake represented that time period perfectly. We were having so much fun and Rick injected humor in his cakes whenever he could (still does) and clients were bringing us some WILD requests. As always, it was never solely about the cake, the people we served were just as important! #cakelava #lasvegascakedesigner #cakedesigner #cakeartist #hawaiicakes #cakedecorating #cake #customcake #customcakes #birthdaycake #weddingcake
As we inch closer to closing cakelava, we’re really enjoying revisiting our humble beginnings. cakelava circa 2008 to 2009, the Oahu years, part 1. 3 years after opening, we really hit our stride, and we were crazy busy!
With our Kailua shop, we had a dedicated space for Rick to create and us to meet with clients. During these years, we had a lot of media attention and Rick made some of his most iconic designs, like the “pillows” cake, the “Candice” - a bamboo, tiki and floral based on our wedding cake, the “Gwen” cake, his Sponge Bob cake he did for Food Network Challenge, plenty of whimsical cakes with waterfall (what we called them) toppers, his Fantasia cake - one of our all-time favorites, and so many Tikis! And of course, the giant Scooby cake. With hundreds of cakes made during this time, we’re only showing a small sample of how we spent our time. Mahalo to all our Oahu Wedding Photographers for the killer images! Part 2 to follow... #cakelava #lasvegascakes #lasvegascakeartist
#cakeartist #|#hawaiicakes #cakes #cakedesign #cakedesigner #bamboocake #tikicake #weddingcake
cakelava’s early beginnings 2005 to 2007, part 3. The Hawaii days. Rick made hundreds of cakes during this time. We painstakingly went through our photo archives, and wanted to include so many more! Sadly, time constraints pulled us back into reality. We chose these photos because they demonstrate Rick’s early development in finding his own artistic style as a cake designer, which was flamboyant, full of color, tilted/wonky, textural, and accented the beauty of the islands, which inspired many of his designs. We are fortunate and grateful our customers always encouraged creativity, and let him go a little wild. This freedom has produced some of his most inspired designs, that are also some of our favorites! #cakelava #lasvegascakeartist #cakeartist #cakedesign #cakedesigner #customcakes #hawaiicakes #cakes #cakedecorating #cakesinhawaii.
cakelava’s humble beginnings 2005 to 2007, part 2. Rick and I were two workaholics living in Paradise yet rarely got to enjoy the beach. In 2005, he took the photo of me in Waikiki while I was taking one of our first cake orders. We were 100% devoted to cake, and friends and family hardly saw us! But, it was totally worth it to be part of something new and exciting! Cakes were having a big moment in TV (remember Ace of Cakes) and our customers wanted to be a part of that trend. Rick got the most bizarre requests! We worked 7 days a week, 60+ hours, with cake tastings on Sundays, often with an event afterwards. Until we had a shop, we did tastings at a local cafe, as did many other cake vendors. Rick made every cake as he always has, and I took every order. We were pumped! The sculpted craps table was Rick’s first. Perhaps it forshadowed our eventual move to the 9th Island of Las Vegas? #cakelava #lasvegascakeartist #cakeartist #lasvegascakedesigner #hawaiicakes #customcakes #sculptedcakes #cakedecorating #cakedesign #cakes
So many memories!! cakelava’s humble beginnings 2005 to 2007, part 1. We were young and determined to make a big splash on Oahu! Rick started making cakes out of an incubator kitchen until we got our Kailua shop in 2007. I had a makeshift home office, a flip cell phone to take orders, and we jumped right in! We met the kindest customers who were hungry for innovative cake designs and worked with top notch Oahu wedding vendors, many who became our friends.#cakelava #lasvegascakeartist #cakeartist #hawaiicakes #cakedesigner #cakedecorating #cakes #cake
If you didn’t see our recent announcement, cakelava is taking an indefinite hiatus. We aren’t accepting any cake requests for event dates past February 3rd… And now, back to the cakes! For us Gen X’ers like us who remember Miami Vice! Crockett, Tubbs, those pastel suits, linen shirts, Ray Bans, Rolex watches, plenty of skin, and lots of drugs. Our client let Rick do his thing and get Miami on this cake! She was ecstatic! #cakelava #cakeartist #lasvegas #cakedesigner #miamivice #miamivicetheme #miami #birthdaycake #customcake #customcakes #80s #80series #80sfashion
Rick’s simulated neon pot leaf cake was an instant hit with the @acinfinityinc AFTER DARK crew! Happy to be part of their celebration and we loved how this cake turned out! #cakelava #lasvegascakes #lasvegascakeartist #cakeartist #cakedesigner #potcake #mj #mjcake #marijuanacake #potleaf #sculptedcake #cakesculpture #potculture #cake #lasvegasparty #lasvegas
2023 has been a year of travels in between cakes, so we’re a bit behind on posts! Rick made this unforgettable cake for Raven’s Goth sweet 16 birthday party, in Vegas and her cake drew an immediate crowd! Rick took a morbid delight in his cake which features a handmade bloody heart nestled in ribs, and plenty of intestines spilling out. #cakelava #lasvegascakes #lasvegascakeartist #cakedesigner #lasvegascakedesigner #gothcake #cakeartist #intestinescake #gory #cake #cakedesign
A spectacular 3 foot tall sculpted rock cake made by Rick for Aarti and Palvin's wedding! @schemeevents designed an incredible event and @byancaseventdecor provided a life-size taxidermy peacock with floral tail positioned over the rock. Rick covered the rock cake with his handmade plants, flowers, and areas of simulated pooling water. #cakelava #lasvegascakes #lasvegascakeartist #lasvegascakedesigner #lasvegas #cakeartist #cakedesigner #sculptedcakes #realisticcakes #rockcake #cakesculpture #cakesculpting #cakedecorating #weddingcake #cake #lasvegas #weddingcake #lasvegaswedding
