FOR WEDDINGS TO SAVOR, GROVE PASTRY TAKES THE CAKE

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By Miriam Raftery

May 28, 2015 (Lemon Grove) – If you’re looking for a wedding cake that’s personalized, beautiful and delicious,  you’ll find your heart’s desire at Grove Pastry Shop in Lemon Grove. When San Diego Style Wedding magazine held a competition for wedding cake bakers last year, Grove Pastry Shop won six of eight categories (and didn’t enter the other two). 

In business since 1947, the bakery has evolved with the times, now offering an array of options ranging from specialty cake flavorings from mango to margaritas, as well as decorating options from tiered chandeliers to tattoos.  One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is the bakery’s commitment to quality –with all cakes hand-crafted and baked the old-fashioned way, with the finest ingredients using many personal recipes from owner Teresa Johnson.

“Baking is a craft,” Johnson says.  “People used to go to Europe to study. Now most bakers learn just enough to get a job.”  Not so at Grove Pastry Shop, where their baker has been in the business for forty years, raising dough-crafting to an art form.  “He really cares about what he does,” Johnson notes, adding, “A cake is very delicate; baking is far trickier than just putting a cake in the oven.”

Another thing that makes Grove Pastry Shop’s cakes standout is the unique designs, shapes and styles.

“Brides want something very unique and personal nowadays,” Johnson told East County Magazine.  The bakery once designed a cake resembling the Stanley Cup for a hockey-loving couple, for example.  The shop has cooked up mad hatter cakes, elegant black and white cakes, cakes with rose petals strewn around the base, fresh raspberry-topped face, fruit or cream filled cakes, champagne frostings, and cakes with secret elements baked in “so only the bride and groom know it’s there.”

Younger people in particular are opting for personalized cakes that reflect their tastes, personalities and lifestyles.  “These are not your grandma’s cakes,” quips Johnson, who enjoys helping fulfill the visions of her customers.

Want gluten free, vegan, or sugar free?  You can get that here.  Need a cake for a same-sex wedding? No problem.  Tropical palms theme? Piece of cake.  Delivery? It’s available, too.

The average wedding cake takes five hours from start to finish to prepare, a masterpiece of creativity.  “We spend an hour on tasting and at least two hours on set-up and design,” says Johnson.   Add baking and decorating to complete your dream cake, which though delicate in flavor and intricate in detail must also withstand up to four hours of travel and display time at your wedding location.

The bakery also cooks up custom cakes for other special occasions such as graduations, holidays, anniversaries and birthdays, all under the watchful eye of Johnson (photo, right).

Mention this article in East County Magazine, and  Grove Pastry Shop will give you a free cake tasting and consultation, as well as a discount of $60 to $85 off any tiered cake, delivered (amount varies based on size and style of the cake you select).  Now that’s a wedding tip to savor!

 

 


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