Today we’d like to introduce you to Joel Basco
Hi Joel, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Growing up as a young boy in the Philippines, I was always amazed watching my aunt make elaborate wedding cakes. She would pipe hundreds of roses, blossoms, and leaves out of royal icing. I was mystified on how they would become rock solid the next day. She would give us the broken ones, which was a treat since I loved sweets when I was a kid!
It was not until I was in my 30’s that I discovered my passion for making cakes. I received a catalog in the mail from the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City for culinary continuing education classes. I wanted to do something after work (I was an IT professional in New York City back then), so I took a few baking classes. I liked it so much that I signed up for the Pastry and Baking Techniques Program. In the process of taking those classes, I wanted my cakes to also look nice, so I took cake decorating classes at the Wilton School of Cake Decorating and The New School Culinary Arts.
After living in New York City for 25 years, I relocated to Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 2014. In December 2015 I partnered with Daniela Borquez to form J&D Cakes in Boca Raton, Florida. Three months into our partnership, I was called by the Food Network to compete in Season 3 of Cake Wars (Paddington Bear Challenge Episode) that aired on Aug 22, 2016, and I won! It was truly a dream come true for me. We were called back to compete in Food Network’s Cake Wars Champs Season 5 in 2017 (Shrek Challenge Episode). We were also featured on the Cooking Channel’s Cake Hunters Season 2 (Twice as Nice Episode). Our latest competition was on Food Network Canada’s The Big Bake Halloween Season 3 (Monsters on the Move Episode) which aired October 10, 2022
Sadly, on October 31, 2022, I had to give up ownership of J&D Cakes to become a full-time caregiver for my elderly mom who accidentally fell and had hip replacement surgery. I created JPBaked Art (www.jpbakedart.com, @jpbakedart on Facebook and Instagram) to continue my passion for making cakes and creating digital content of cake demos and tutorials. I also started a Filipino cooking blog called Cooking for Pinoy Mom (www.cookingforpinoymom.com, @cookingforpinoymom on Facebook and Instagram) which chronicles my adventures in cooking since taking care of mom.
I recently published my very first cake decorating book titled “Celebrating Pinoy Culture in Cakes” available on Amazon.com (https://a.co/d/24GoiSO). It’s a celebration of my Filipino culture where I also share some of my personal stories related to these edible creations. Writing a book has always been in my bucket list. It took me a little over a year to complete this book as I was doing this during the downtimes of taking care of my mom. I did everything from the book cover design and page layout to the manuscript, proofreading and photography so you can say it’s a one-man publishing team that created this book. Some cake projects include a Jeepney cake, Nipa Hut cake and a Filipino theme wedding cake. I also share some of my favorite cake recipes as well as cake decorating tips and techniques.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Being an entrepreneur is not easy because you have to wear different hats. Aside from being the baker/cake decorator, I also have to be the bookkeeper, web developer, social media manager, marketer and sometimes the delivery boy and dishwasher. The good thing is that I worked as an accountant and IT professional back then, so I knew how to crunch numbers and maintain a website. The struggle was finding the time for myself as I had to work 7 days a week.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in creating edible works of art made out of cake. I’m well known for my cake sculptures and multi-tiered wedding cakes. Throughout the years I have made cake sculptures of stadiums such as Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium, things such as musical instruments, cameras, sneakers, designer handbags, etc., and animals such as dogs, elephants and horses to name a few. My favorite cake sculpture to make are cars. I’ve done sports cars such as Corvettes and Ferraris to classic cars such as the 1939 Packard and 1955 Ford Thunderbird. Although I am not a car enthusiast, I love making them because of the details. This is what sets me apart from other cake designers because I can create realistic looking cakes.
I am most proud of my win on Food Network’s Cake Wars. I was able to show my skills and talent in making cakes on national TV. It was a form of validation that I can compete among the best in the U.S and win!
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Aside from making cakes, I have been creating digital content on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. I create reels documenting the process on how I make my cake creations. It’s actually a fun challenge to make everything fit in a short video and mixing in music and text to capture an audience’s attention. My future goal is to produce YouTube tutorial videos so that everyone can see step by step on how create these cakes.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.jpbakedart.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/jpbakedart
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/jpbakedart
- Other: https://a.co/d/24GoiSO
