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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joan Zach (215) 722-1688

ARTIST’S PALETTE^TM CAKE COLLECTION MAKES BIG “IMPRESSION” ON PHILADELPHIA-AREA BRIDES

For as long as he can remember, Emmerich Zach has enjoyed nothing more than devouring the art of such 19th and 20th century greats as Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir, and Klimt. Now customers at this European-born and –trained Master Pastry Chef’s Philadelphia konditorei (pastry shop) can feast their eyes – and their taste buds – on his new Artist’s Palette Collection of one-of-a-kind, hand-painted wedding and special-occasion cakes inspired by the most beloved works of these masters of the canvas.

One of the area’s premier cake designers since the opening of his first konditorei in Northeast Philadelphia in 1981, Zach uses edible vegetable coloring on tiny brushes to create meticulously detailed flowers, landscapes, and portraits on multiple tiers covered in fondant and buttercream. He does all of his work freehand, without the use of stencils or an image projector.

One bride, an aficianado of Monet, recently asked Zach to create a floral design in the impressionist’s style on her three-tiered wedding cake. The result featured three separate views of cascading flowers – hydrangeas, gladiolas, and roses – in deep and delicate shades of blue, green, and purple.

“Depending on the angle from which the cake was viewed, you could see three distinct but complimentary designs,” Zach explained. “I wanted to create the feeling of a garden, so that as you walked around it, you would see different colors, shapes, and plays of light.”

At the request of another bride, Zach recently painted a profusion of Van Gogh-style sunflowers. He says that he also “has a million ideas” for turning the signature strokes of a wide range of artists ranging from Manet to Mondrian and from Cezanne to Chagall (“imagine the Bar and Bat Mitzvah cakes!”) into one-of-a-kind cake designs. All of Zach’s cakes and pastries are Kosher certified.

Depending on the complexity of the design, Zach estimates that it takes him between one and four hours to paint each cake. Prices range from $10 per slice for Madeira pound cake to $11 for a chocolate chip, marble, or liqueur-flavored pound cake, to $12 for a three-layer torte (chocolate raspberry brandy, Viennese Sacher, Grand Marnier, Viennese hazelnut, Swiss mocha, and Cappuccino).

Zach has long been renowned in the Philadelphia area for his sculpted theme cakes. For one recent commission, he created a nine-foot long, three-foot deep, and 18-inch high “fully landscaped” pastry replica of Pennsylvania Hospital to commemorate the institution’s 250th anniversary. For official functions, he has also done three-dimensional models of Philadelphia’s historic City Hall.

He says he also enjoys working with more whimsical subject matter, like the seven-foot long, three-dimensional Harley Davidson motorcycle, “complete with seats textured to look like leather and a chrome-colored muffler” he was asked to produce for a corporate function.
Emmerich Zach received his certification as Konditor Meister in his native Austria in 1964.

Zach’s special-occasion creations are available at Zach’s Delectable Necessities, 533 N. 22nd Street (at Brandywine Street) in Philadelphia’s Spring Garden/Parkway area. For information call (215) 832-0332.