Renee Janas-Johnson has won many culinary competitions, including the Minnesota State Fair, Pillsbury Pie Contest, Redbook Magazine Cake Decorating Contest, Hershey’s Chocolate Challenge ’06 and Ghiradelli Choco Contest ‘06. She has her Master’s degree in Curriculum from the College of St. Thomas. Ms. Janas-Johnson teaches at Columbia Heights High School where she designed a popular confectionery class enjoyed by both boys and girls. This is her seventh year at Summer Academy.
Confectionery Crafting
Envision making the beautifully decorated cakes of fine bakeries. Perhaps creating a bouquet totally of cookies on a stick would be your decorating style. Maybe designing and decorating a keepsake sugar crystal cake with royal icing would be your adventure. Whatever choice you make, you will marvel at learning how to create beautiful decorations for that special creation. Come, join in the fun of exploring how cake decorating came about, including the history and the tradition of this fine art. Learn about the tools, foods and techniques that will make your creations both delicious and professional. You will have the opportunity to work with frosting and acquire the skills of the pastry bag making roses, borders, writing, printing and leaves. You will try both butter cream frosting and royal icing. Explore how this skill could prove profitable as we explore home-based decorating businesses. Students will be introduced to a new art form in the cake designing business called “CAKE POPS”. This is an amazing technique that will certainly spur creativity and fun. Students will try their skills at “Rice Krispie treat carving” taking the simple little treat to new levels of adventures in eating and viewing. The course not only offers the excitement of being creative, but also learning how to keep your food products safe and clean during preparation. Be part of the Confectionery Crafting team and enjoy a delicious adventure into the fascinating world of cake decorating.
Students will further explore the use of the Cricut Cutting System typically used for scrapbooking and paper crafting to design and cut designs from gumpaste.
This course will also explore food photography as it relates to projects made in this class. Students will have the opportunity to food style their individual projects and photograph them.
