Turning cakes into pieces of art

NORMAN DAVIS is one of the world’s most celebrated cake decorators. The award winning chocolatier is in the country to share his cake decorating expertise with top hoteliers.

PETER MUIRURI caught up with him

It is not every day that you get to taste a cake made by one of the world’s top ten cake decorators. Thus when such an opportunity presented itself recently, I did not hesitate.

NORMAN DAVIS, one of the world’s most

celebrated cake decorators

Norman Davis is an award winning pastry chef and chocolatier who also owns The Sweet Life Inc, a custom design cakery in Annandale, Virginia, USA. In addition, he is an award winning chocolatier, famous for his White Chocolate Curl Cake and his three-dimensional chocolate figurines.

Armed with a sweet tooth, I met Norman, a certified sugar artist, at Sarova Panafric in Nairobi where he had been invited to share his meticulous cake decorating expertise with the hotel chain’s pastry chefs.

He did not disappoint and invited guests were mesmerised by the elaborate display of his work in creating edible art.

Visitors could not hide their joy as they tasted with relish some of Norman’s works that were on display. The jovial and humorous chef openly shared with those present the secrets of his trade, without bombarding them with heavy jargon.

A grand finale of his presentations was conducted at the Sarova Mombasa Whitesands last weekend.

Born in Pennsylvania in 1960, Norman looks much younger than his age, perhaps due to his love for the sweet things in life. At 14, he moved in with an auntie, helping her baby-sit her child. It was here that Norman got to do other odd jobs including assisting her in baking.

When he completed his schooling at Northern Cambria High School, Norman got some work at a bakery, a job he hated.

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