We believe there are NO RULES when it comes to wedding cakes. They don't have to be white cakes with white frosting anymore. We have created cakes in flavors such as Thai Iced Coffee, Peaches and Cream, Ginger with a Green Tea buttercream, and the finest chocolate cake in the hemisphere.Here at Charm City Cakes, we are motivated by constantly trying to outdo ourselves by making cakes that are beautiful, challenging, and as out-of-the-ordinary as possible! Our inspiration comes from everywhere: art, fabric, furniture, architecture, landscapes, science, music, anything! Most of all, our inspiration comes from you! Each cake is individually designed to match you, your personality, and the theme of the occasion you are celebrating.
Music
Movies
There are no limits to what we can do here at Charm City Cakes. You dream it, we’ll bake it, you eat it.
Television
Chef Duff's TV Appearances:
Food Network: Ace of Cakes--
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno--
The Today Show Wedding 2005--
Food Network Challenge: Mystery Cakes--
Food Network Challenge: Elvis Birthday Cakes--
Food Network Challenge: Spooky Candy Halloween Cakes--
Food Network Challenge: Rice Krispie Treat Skyline--
Sugar Rush: Fire and Ice--
Sugar Rush: Celebrations--
The Christopher Lowell Show--
Roker on the Road--
CNN
tewsting
Books
Heroes
Chef Duff has been cooking since the age of four, when his Mom caught him in the kitchen watching Chef Tell and swinging around a meat cleaver. When Duff was in second grade, he almost cut his pinkie off while carving a pumpkin. He was destined to work in the kitchen. Chef Duff started working professionally when he was 14, and has been working in kitchens ever since.
When people ask how he got into making cakes, you might say he really had no choice in the matter. Duff’s Great-Grandmother, Mommo, came from the Ukraine and was a baker and weaver. Her daughter, Duff’s Grandmother, Nana, was an art enthusiast who did enameling and was an accomplished and recognized photographer. Duff’s Mom, Jackie, is also an artist who began in ceramics and is now an accomplished stained glass designer on west coast (www.jackiesglass.com). Duff himself studied at the Corcoran School in Washington, D.C. and was at one time a graffiti artist of some notoriety.
Charm City Cakes!'s Details
Status:
In a Relationship
Here for:
Networking, Friends
Zodiac Sign:
Sagittarius
Children:
Someday
Occupation:
Master-Pastry Chef
Charm City Cakes!'s Companies
Charm City Cakes Baltimore, Maryland US Owner/ Baker
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About me:
Please visit our website for Pricing and Flavors!
Charm City Cakes was started in March of 2000 when Chef Duff had tired of wandering the country and decided to settle in Baltimore. At first, Chef Duff was just making a few cakes for friends and family, but as word got out about his uncommon creations, business picked up fast. In March of 2002, Chef Duff was getting so inundated with cake orders that he decided to fling off the oppression of his day job and make cake baking his full time gig! He quickly outgrew his home kitchen and two bakeries; in August of 2005 he bought a 6,000 square foot cake compound in Remington. Today, Charm City Cakes has grown to a staff of eleven friends who make cakes, listen to music, and eat a lot of sushi.
Duff started working for acclaimed Baltimore Chef Cindy Wolf (www.charlestonrestaurant.com) while attending the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. After graduating, Duff left Baltimore to study pastries at the Culinary Institute of America (www.ciachef.edu/california) in Napa Valley, California. While in Napa, Duff was a stagiere at the French Laundry (www.frenchlaundry.com), working under acclaimed pastry Chef Steven Durfee. Duff left California to become Executive Pastry Chef of the Vail Cascade Hotel and Resort (www.vailcascade.com) in the mountains of Vail, Colorado. There he worked with such notable chefs as Jessie Llapitan, now Executive Chef of the Houstonian in Houstin, Texas, and Chef Jason Rogers, late of Olives in Aspen and now at the Borgota of Atlantic City. Duff then left Colorado to bake bread for Todd English’s Olives (www.toddenglish.com) in Washington, D.C., where he worked under Executive Chef Steve Mannino. Duff left Olives in 2000 when he came back to Baltimore to open Charm City Cakes.
In addition to owning and operating Charm City Cakes, Duff is also a sculptor, artist, and musician - he plays bass in the indie instrumental band “so I had to…”(www.soihadto.com) and is an all around good guy with the cleanest hands in town.
Hey Duff and Friends! You made my friends dream come true on friday at the convention in CA and she is soooooo happy with everything that happened. She was TOTALLY thrilled about sitting on stage with you while you were 'creating' and I am soooo jealous of her ;). She will remember the hug forever and I wish I could have come along with her too :)!!!
