Sculptor Audrey Schoenthaler uses fondant and other food as the media for her creations.
By DEBORAH SAYER, Staff Writer April 8, 2009
Photo courtesy Audrey Schoenthaler
This igloo cake, a scene of explorer Adm. William Peary’s Arctic base camp, was the centerpiece for a celebration marking the 100th anniversary of Peary’s reaching the North Pole. Audrey Schoenthaler of Belle Fete Events and Catering in Brunswick made the cake.
When Adm. William Peary completed his trek to the North Pole on April 6, 1909, he arrived at the top of the world via dog sled, carrying navigational tools including a compass, sextant and an artificial horizon device filled with mercury.
When Audrey Schoenthaler arrived at the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum last Monday to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Peary's historic journey, it was in a 2008 Nissan Versa (and directions were readily available courtesy of MapQuest).
Schoenthaler, a sculptor, left her mark on the day's festivities with a work of art that paid tribute to Peary's accomplishments. The 3-D miniature of his Arctic base camp was created using Schoenthaler's trade tools, including baking tins, parchment, wooden dowels and sharp tools for cutting and shaping. Like Peary's encampment, Schoenthaler's work is now a distant memory, existing only in photographs. It was eaten as part of the celebration.
Schoenthaler, 25, of Harpswell is a cake designer who creates edible art as part of the Brunswick-based Belle Fete Events & Catering business. "I went to college for an art degree in sculpting," said Schoenthaler, a 2006 graduate of the University of Maine at Farmington. "I'm a conceptual sculptor. I use everything from metal to Twinkies (to create my art). Whatever idea comes to mind about the artwork will dictate the medium I will use. "(While in college) I worked in the kitchen on a dude ranch in Colorado during summer months. I'd make specialty cakes that became more elaborate over time and progressively developed into actual sculptures."
Schoenthaler's final college project submission was a giant pyramid constructed entirely of Twinkies. "There were 1,500 of them," she said. "The whole room smelled of Twinkies."
Schoenthaler returned to Maine, partnering with Belle Fete co-owner Lori Kinkade and using the business as a creative outlet to continue making her unique sculptures. "I'd always used food for my medium so it lent itself well to that," said Schoenthaler. Examples of Schoenthaler's work include giant 3-D cakes shaped like 35 mm cameras, rainbow trout and a Volkswagen Beetle. For one beach-themed wedding, she created a massive cheesecake-based sand castle, covered with a graham cracker crumb overlay.
Sometimes, Schoenthaler uses batches of Rice Krispie square mix to create a lightweight base for more complex forms, saying the ingredients are malleable and capable of supporting the heavy fondant often topping the cakes. The fondant, or gum paste, creates a smooth finish and acts as "an edible Play-Doh" with which Schoenthaler creates her sculptures.
"We wanted to offer something special as the centerpiece for the 100th anniversary (Peary) reception," said Kristi Clifford, a museum administrative assistant. "We went on (the Belle Fete) Web site, saw cake photos and said, 'Ohhhh ' (Schoenthaler) does wonderful work."
"Audrey's the cake designer," said Kinkade. "She is a true artist and just loves a challenge. She's a genius who never ceases to amaze me."
For the Peary celebration, Schoenthaler created an igloo-shaped cake with miniature expedition figures, all made of fondant, using edible paint to add details. "The hardest thing was making the people and smaller things like sleds and dogs," said Schoenthaler, who based the design on museum photographs while adding imaginative touches. "The more detail you can add, the better. I had Adm. Peary standing, Henson sitting by a camp fire with coffee pot on it, sled dogs sitting and lying down, pick axes, snow shoes and a sign."
Like Peary, Schoenthaler kept a log of her work. "I take pictures as the work progresses," she said. "It took about 16 hours (to complete), not including about six hours baking time. I had such a good time doing this cake."
Staff Writer Deborah Sayer can be contacted at 791-6308 or at:
dsayer@pressherald.com
Copyright © 2009 Blethen Maine Newspapers
IF YOU GO "NORTHWARD OVER THE GREAT ICE: Robert E. Peary and the Quest for the North Pole" is on exhibit through March 2011 at Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum and Arctic Studies Center, offering a variety of changing exhibits as well as hundreds of artifacts, visual and audio media.
THE MUSEUM, in Hubbard Hall on the Bowdoin campus in Brunswick, is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 2 to 5 p.m. on Sundays. It is closed Mondays and national holidays. ADMISSION is free. For information, call 725-3416.
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