Becca Craig is reppin’ the City of Brotherly Love on a national level! She’s one of two remaining female pastry chefs in the running for Food Network’s Best Baker In America. When she’s not competing in front of thousands of viewers, Becca is the Executive Pastry Chef of local Fishtown bakery, Cake Life Bake Shop. And ICMYI on Instagram, she was the creator of Beyonce’s 2017 birthday cake!
We’re thrilled to feature Becca and learn more about her background. From the fine arts industry to her experience on Best Baker In America, Becca shares it all with us.
PPRG: As the Executive Cake Chef at Cake Life Bake Shop, you’re always whipping up creative pastries that we love (especially savory options, too). How do you create the menu?
BC: Cake Life has a strict ‘has to look good AND taste good’ policy. There are so many bakeries that only do one or the other. In our development of new menu items, we have a group critique with the chefs and managers. I enjoy playing around with new, unique ideas and flavor profiles. The flavor gets broken down and critiqued as does the visual appeal. We want to look at our offering from a production standpoint as well as the customers’ viewpoint. It’s brainstorming over food!
Thankfully, our customers have come to love our staple offerings. Because of this, our customers have developed a trust in trying our not-so-familiar products, such as a lemon-thyme cake or a honey-lavender cupcake, trusting that it will be absolutely delicious!
PPRG: When was the “lightbulb” moment that you knew the culinary route was for you?
BC: My interests have always been in the fine arts. When I was younger, I was intrigued by those that were making cake sculptures on TV. I thought, “How cool would it be to make my art edible?!” Once I made my first few figures out of fondant, I was hooked! I didn’t put it together for a few years, but my mom used to sculpt our birthday cakes into trains and sea monsters and crayon boxes. They were ‘painted’ in brightly colored frostings for all of our birthdays growing up, so I have it in my blood. I had a natural instinct for flavor balance and fell in love with learning the science behind baking. I just knew I wanted and needed to make edible art.
PPRG: A BIG congrats on currently being one of the nine contestants in Food Network’s Best Baker in America! How would you describe competing for the title of ‘Best Baker in America?’
BC: Competing for the title of Best Baker in America is intense! These are hand-selected chefs from across the country who are extremely talented with various years of industry experience. What’s great about this show is that these are real chefs with all the tricks, tips and facts that about baking. We all love talking about things nerdy things… Why the eggs need to whip no more or no less, and why this sugar is a better choice in this or that, and naming that specific ingredient that makes your life so much easier, etc. So if you are interested in the science and bettering your pastry skills, it is a big part of this show. And if you’re not into the science behind baking, we still stir up some drama to keep you entertained!
PPRG: What will you do with the $25,000 grand prize if you won Best Baker in America?
BC: If I win, I’ll be taking some international trips to places where I can be fully immersed in different cultures and learn their culinary traditions to bring back to the States.
PPRG: What are some of your favorite desserts to create?
BC: My all-time favorite pastry to make is a choux puff/cream puff. They are so satisfying to make when you get all the details down. It is a perfectly puffed choux ball with a light crunchy exterior. Then, when you make the filling(s), you can really give your customers exactly what you want them to experience. They are usually only one to two bites. But when you layer them with the perfectly textured cream, the freshest fruit compote and a silky rich glaze on top, those bites can be magical!
PPRG: So…of course we have to ask about the beautiful geode birthday cake you created for Beyonce in 2017! How long did it take you to create the $3,000+ cake? How did Beyonce’s team reach out to you? Tell. Us. Everything.
BC: So, someone on Beyonce’s culinary team was in charge of her birthday cake, and they had heard about us. They saw a geode I had done on our website and asked for something similar (in gold and black, of course). They were all incognito about who it was for, but they were no match for our smart and detective-like saleswomen!
Once we discovered who it was for, it was bees, gold, and crowns from there on out. I love anything with a nod to rocks and nature since the trend was just starting to hit. I really wanted to nail the design (not to mention it was for Queen Bey). It was a long process. Since we make the sugar crystals in-house, each crystal has to be individually placed with the details hand-painted. This cake was a 2+ day process, including the edible crown replicating the one she wore during her kick-ass Grammy performance.
She also had a few side cakes in our signature flavors with custom golden bee décor, as well as custom cookies. They all had a contemporary design of — you guessed it — crowns and beehives. Although we didn’t get to meet Beyonce face-to-face, one of her team members reached out on her behalf to thank us and share how much she loved everything. Amazing!
PPRG: We’re fans of the variety of events at Cake Life Bake Shop. Sharing your baking tips and tricks and hosting tastings with the public is so unique. What can people expect from these in-shop experiences?
BC: We love hosting! Since we’re always learning from each other, teaching interested community members just seemed like a natural progression. It started with teaching in-house cookie classes and cake decorating classes downtown. Now, we’re offering a cake and filling/frosting pairing (called Second Saturday Tasting) and a wine and cocktail pairing event with a five-course menu. With the five-course meal, we have the freedom to push the envelope. Guests may enjoy a liver mousse pate on croissant crostini or vermouth-soaked cake with strawberries and rosemary! (You may have seen a version of the latter on the third episode of Best Baker.) Stay up to date with upcoming Cake Life events by viewing the events calendar.
PPRG: As the bake shop is trans-owned, what does it mean to be a part of an inclusive environment? How does it compare to other bakeries you’ve worked at?
BC: I am lucky enough to know the owners, Lily and Nima, on a personal level. Whether they were trans, genderqueer, cis male, non-binary, or other, they are wonderful individuals and fantastic to work for! They have intentionally established a very inclusive environment and should be a shining example to other businesses in the industry.
Personally, I feel very strongly about inclusivity. We all have the right to equal respect in the workplace and the interactions we have should be based on our personalities and skill sets. Nowadays, I don’t think I would last too long at a place that was not inclusive. Most of my experiences have been good at other places I’ve worked, but there are always those unexpected moments when someone says something ignorant and close-minded. You have to find a way to respond in hopes that you can help broaden their perspective. At Cake Life, everyone understands the importance of openness and inclusiveness. It makes for, not only real and open conversations, but also for an entertaining group of individuals!
PPRG: What advice do you have for younger bakers looking to break into the culinary industry and make a name for themselves?
BC: For young bakers: get into the pastry world! Research and make a list of the pastry chefs you would like to learn from the most and start knocking on doors. Who you learn from is almost as important as your work ethic and eagerness to learn and grow.
It is not about getting the job highest up the ladder or best paying job, it’s about getting into the industry and pushing yourself as hard as you can to get the most out of your experience. It is not anyone else’s responsibility to teach you or make you grow. You need to do 82% of that, and a good chef will meet you with loads of life and industry lessons.
PPRG: We’d say that’s pretty good advice for any industry. And we always love to ask all our interviewees, what do you love most about this city?
BC: With so many different cultures and so much history, Philadelphia is a wonderful city for exploration. We even have some nature! I will take a four-hour walk around the city just to stumble on something new. I also love to camp and go on adventures. There are some great campgrounds not too far outside the city, where I enjoy hanging out by the water in the Wissahickon in the summer with my boyfriend and friends.
To continue follow Becca’s journey, follow her on Instagram. Plus, tune into Food Network on Monday nights at 9 p.m. EST to cheer on Becca. We’ll be watching her create mouth-watering desserts and share baking tips and tricks. This city is rooting for you, Becca!
To learn more about Cake Life Bake Shop and upcoming events, find the latest updates on their website, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
