After three days of intense decorating, Andria Chinander, Lund Food Holdings (Byerly’s), Edina, Minn., came out on top in the 17th annual Cake Decorating Challenge at IDDBA's Dairy-Deli-Bake. Amy Murtha, Hy-Vee Inc., Belton, Mo., placed second and Stacie Clawson, Walmart Supercenters, Perry, Utah, finished third. The three finalists beat out 70 other contestants to win the opportunity to compete in the competition.
All three competed during the three days of Dairy-Deli-Bake. On day one, they had to decorate enough cakes to fill an 8-ft. showcase. Day two required them to decorate a tiered wedding cake, and on the final day, each had to completed a themed cake, a sculpted cake and decorator’s choice.
One common themes from this year’s challenge is bling is big. All three wedding cakes featured some sort of brooch or silver dragees to give the cakes some dazzle. Cupcake cakes and animal designs or prints also were popular.