Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Sugar, Spice & Everything Nice: Modern Bite Takes the Cake (and more!) in L.A.

SUGAR, SPICE & EVERYTHING NICE: MODERN BITE TAKES THE CAKE (AND MORE!) IN L.A. -- Cakes, cookies, bars, cupcakes and bites -- oh my! How can you resist these modern gems shown here created by the dynamic duo of Daniel Shapiro and Greg Roth of Modern Bite in Los Angeles? You shouldn't! And we must say that we at Studio of Style have seen and tasted lots of confections here in the City of Angels...and nothing quite compares to the artful offerings this pair of fun-loving guys conjure up. They don't have a storefront, but they do have a nifty mail order service and they do lots of special events and holiday-themed items and gift packages (you gotta check out their blog to see the wide range of things they can create). Shapiro has been in love with baking since the age of 14 and Roth draws upon his fine art and architectural background -- and together they come up with interesting shapes, designs and colorways that are just a bit more interesting than what you'd find at your corner bakery. For cookies, the finished design is printed via a computer using edible inks on edible paper that then is applied via icing. The fondant cake designs are made using the company's specially-designed cutters and the finished product is certainly a labor of love, both visually and taste-wise: standard cake flavors include chocolate, vanilla, carrot, red velvet and salted caramel; and the frostings include chocolate, chocolate buttercream, cream cheese and vanilla buttercream. The cookies shown above are shortbread (yum!) and gourmet classics are offered as well: chocolate truffle, toffee peanut pretzel, pecan shortbread and much more! Numerous "bites" (lemon, cheesecake, mint brownies, etc) are available, plus cupcakes and bars such as blondies, raspberry struesel, Martha's Magic Bars (!!) and others round out the company's selections. As the saying goes, you eat with your eyes first -- which makes Modern Bite confections a visual feast! Did you know that the company was asked by the American Film Institute to create 3,300 cookies topped with edible posters of the most memorable films of Shirley MacLaine (we love her!) when she was bestowed AFI's Lifetime Achievement Award last June in Hollywood? Now, you gotta love that! Of course, custom creations are available and their gift box packaging is just as colorful as its delectable contents -- so satisfy that sweet tooth and your design sensibilities at the same time with treats from Modern Bite, okay?
Images courtesy Modern Bite / montage by Greg Firlotte