How a Great Fire and an Innovative Architect Inspired the Tiered Royal Wedding Cakes of Kate Middleton and Prince William

The latest royal wedding news from Windsor is that the famed English Queen of Cakes, Fiona Cairns, will be creating the sure to be grand cakes (yes, cakes, as in plural plus) for Kate and William’s Upcoming April 29^th princey wedding.

No one could be a better creative choice for what will surely be a towering culinary masterpiece of sugar spun and sweet rich cake. Though Fiona Cairns started her business 25 years ago on her kitchen table¸ today her famed firm supplies such legendary merchants of styles as the Conran Shop, Liberty, the Ritz Hotel, Harrods, Selfridges, and Fortnum and Mason, to name only a few.

Key to her success is the business skills of her husband, Kishore Patel, as well as her training as a pastry chef at the Michelin-starred Hambleton Hall and her background as a graphic designer. Her first major innovation, elegant small cakes, launched a major culinary wave and has landed her such clients as Bono, Pink Floyd, Simply Red, Sinead O'Connor and Sir Paul McCartney. Not a bad client list.

Yet in the rush of all things royal weddings, few know that the high tiered flower decorated cake she will create for Kate and William claims its origins from a historic fire, an inspired architect and a humble baker in love.

In 1666 a great fire swept through wooden London, destroying 70,000 homes in a city of only 80,000 families. When the ashes cooled, great sections of the once crowded medieval city were open, available for a newer better London to be built, this time of safer stone.

The amazing architect selected for this great urban renewal was Sir Christopher Wren. Under his direction, stunning building after stunning building rose, rebuilding the London skyline into a place of beauty. Among his most charming of structures was St. Bride’s Church of Fleet Street with its soaring steeple.

Named after St Bridget of Kildare in Ireland, this beloved church is known in London simply as St Bride’s Church. Close to Fleet Street, the center of London’s historic print and media area, endless numbers of world famous writers and reporters call this their home church – and that includes many culinary writers.  

And who can blame them for loving this dear Celtic saint and her church when she wrote such prayers as this for her fellow nuns in 515:

"I long for a great lake of ale
I long for the meats of belief and pure piety
I long for plails of penance at my house
I long for them to have barrels full of peace
I long to give away jars full of love
I long for them to have cellars full or mercy
I long for cheerfulness to be in their drinking"

It was in the spirit of that joy of life that a local baker in the shadow of St Bride’s created the very first tiered wedding cake. Wondering what rare and special gift a humble baker could give his new bride, he chose to reproduce in soaring pastry the towering steeple of the nearby church where they would soon to be married. 

His novel high cake was so stunning it launched a tradition that has lasted three centuries – right down to this the newest royal wedding.

So all the best William and Kate.  May their path be strewn with flowers and may their cake and Love be as beautiful and as noble as St Bride's soaring steeple and last as long!

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011

The Sudden Death of Santi Santamaria Marks the Passing of a Great Culinary Star

The culinary world is in shock as the news that Spain’s Michelin-starred Chef Santi Santamaria has died suddenly in Singapore from what is believed to possibly be a heart attack.

Santamaria, who was only 53 years old, collapsed on Tuesday, February 16^th while greeting guests at the inaugural opening of his restaurant Santi at the new breath-taking Marina Bay Sands Resort in Singapore.

Santamaria is universally acknowledged in the culinary industry as the chef who launched Spanish and especially Catalan cuisine onto the world stage. By 1994 his Can Fabes Restaurant, located right in his own hometown of Sant Celoni, was awarded (and still retains) three Michelin stars.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Santamaria went on to open three more restaurants – Evo in Barcelona, Santceloni in Madrid and Tierra in Valdepalacios outside the Spanish capital.  Under his insightful direction, all of these restaurants have also earned their share of Michelin Stars.  

With such success, the world called and Santamaria answered opening first his stunning Ossiano Restaurant in Dubai’s Palm Island and then finally the Santi in Singapore.

Though a largely self-taught chef, Santamaria’s innate talent was legendary and sometimes controversial.  As the chef who introduced the wonders of Hispanic cuisine to the world, he declared the value of only the freshest and most natural of ingredients.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that this dedication brought him directly into conflict with Spain’s other leading chef, Adria Ferran, who was also opening new doors with innovative techniques and new ingredients.

The intense verbal war between the two was finally brought to an end when Euro-Toques International (ETI), the leading organization representing Europe’s top chefs, intervened and calmed the waters between these two very talented chefs.

Despite this conflict, which represents in reality the creative diversity that is the very nature of the culinary profession, Santamaria has always been honored by his peers as one of world’s leading chefs and a beloved colleague.  On his death, such great chefs as Daniel Boulud, Guy Savoy, Justin Quek and Tetsuya Wakuda paused and remembered their professional friend with nothing but words of high praise.   

The famed French Chef Daniel Boulud of New York City said it best when he stated,”a great friend and inspiration had been lost. He will be great missed.”

Indeed Santamaria did give the world so much – his courage, his passion, his flare as only he could.  Thank you for such great and honest gifts to us all. 

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011