About
"Not all those who wander are lost." J.R.R. Tolkien
Eliza Sharpless is living her passion, which is evident in the detail and quality of all of her designs. Eliza's primary expertise is creating lifelike sugar flowers as well as characters and scenes molded from gum paste, fondant and pastillage. She endeavors to provide an emotional experience with her designs, either to enhance a special moment in someone's life or to challenge the traditional expectation of what is possible with cake design. She hopes to transcend the idea that cake is only an indulgence, and that through the medium of sugar molding, beauty and art can not only be achieved, but can become a shared experience. A shared experience of wonder - forcing each of us into the most important moment that most of us forget to truly appreciate - The Present.
Each piece is a personalized and original work of art. Every molded piece can be preserved as a memento of the occasion. Considering the fact that sugar paste is naturally preserved, each molded piece that adorns the cake can last forever, displayed in a shadow box or beautiful glass cloche. Although she plans to have her own storefront one day, she is currently working privately. Eliza is always available through phone or email to discuss cake quotes or ideas and answer any inquiries you may have.
Before moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico, Eliza indulged her imagination in Houston, TX. After working in 2 well-known Cake Bakeries, she embraced her talent and established her business, Eliza Sharpless Cakes. Everything is bigger in Texas, of course, so she began molding sugar-stories and translated them into unusual, wild and intricate cakes. Having always dreamed of settling within a beautiful place, the stars aligned as I drove through Santa Fe and I knew it was where I am meant to be.
Everything began in Washington, DC where Eliza grappled with how to balance her creative impulses with her intellectual interests. Fairly certain that one day she would obtain professional pastry training, she went to Kenyon College where she indulged her interests in English and philosophy and majored in studio art. The realization came halfway through her sophomore year that her reasons for majoring in studio art were simply to support her ultimate dream of being a cake decorator.
After working for a year in a local bread bakery, she enrolled in the pastry program at L'Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg, MD. Since obtaining her degree in the baking and pastry arts, Eliza has worked in top bakeries in Washingtion, D.C., Houston, TX and Santa Fe, NM, which she now calls home.
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