Friday, June 29, 2012

'Why don't you just go eat at McDonald's, you plank?' Burger King manager tells customer 

   
Charlotte Chamberlain (above photo) received a rude email after complaining about her food at Burger King.
When Charlotte complained about the Burger King staff using a microwave to heat her food she received the following Email:


The email, apparently from the customer services department, called Charlotte Chamberlain a ‘plank’ and suggested that maybe she should go to McDonald’s.

Charlotte and a friend were disappointed to find the burgers they had ordered were put into a microwave. They complained and wanted a refund before leaving the store in Corby, Northamptonshire.
She later made a formal complaint to Burger King. She was shocked when she receive the email, which read: ‘Message from the King. If you want cold food you only have to ask, you plank. In future could you please go to Macs. Ha Ha Ha.’ 
Charlotte said: ‘I was absolutely stunned, shocked. I couldn’t believe a big company could treat a customer like this."


The email was one of around 15 sent by the former owner of the Corby franchise who somehow hacked his way into the Burger King customer service email, writing nasty little responses.
 
Burger King has since apologized to Miss Chamberlain and provided vouchers for free meals.
A spokesman said: ‘A former franchisee is no longer connected to Burger King UK Ltd.
‘His actions are in no way representative of the views of Burger King and our quality of customer care. As soon as we discovered he had unauthorised access to our email system, we immediately blocked his access and are investigating the matter internally. We sincerely apologise for any offence caused to our customers.’
Burger King confirmed staff are required to microwave flame-grilled burgers before they are served as ‘a standard quality measure’ to ensure they are safe and hygienic.
‘If a customer would rather their sandwich is not put in the microwave, they are free to request this,’ the spokesman said.

What is a plank?
As an insult, it means you're stupid or a moron.



Thursday, June 28, 2012

The Last Takeaway : Jesus' face is seen in peeling paint and dirt outside Chinese takeaway


It's been a while, we haven't seen the Virgin Mary or the face of Jesus lately.
But hallelujah, the wait is over.

The Chinese takeaway has the face if Jesus appearing amongst peeling paint and dirt on the door of the restaurant.


Two drunk customers  said, 'It was Jesus looking right at us, we were shocked and couldn't believe it. 'It's a miracle!









Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Logo Stories

Just look around your kitchen and you'll find the faces to the world's most famous logos.
Now, here are their stories...


Morton Salt: The Morton Umbrella Girl

Morton Salt began as a small Midwestern sales agency in 1848. In 1889, Joy Morton bought a major interest in the company and in 1910, he changed its name to Morton Salt Company.


The Morton Umbrella Girl got her start in 1914. The logo concept was that Morton Salt was nothing like regular salt of the day.
It poured without clumps, even in damp weather.
The company added magnesium carbonate as an absorbing agent to ensure that its table salt poured freely, later it was changed to calcium silicate.

At first, the advertising agency suggested "Even in rainy weather, it flows freely" as the company's motto. Morton thought that was too long, so the motto was changed to "When it Rains it Pours."

Betty Crocker

In the early 1920s, the Washburn Crosby Company of Minneapolis (a milling company that later merged with other companies to form General Mills) received a lot of mail from customers asking baking questions.

In 1921, the company thought that it would be better to sign the responses personally, so they combined the last name of its director, William Crocker, with the first name "Betty" (chosen because "it sounded cheery, wholesome, and folksy.")  The Betty Crocker signature was signed by a company secretary who won some kind of a contest.

The whole Betty Crocker persona was carefully planned by a group of college educated women. 

On the radio, Betty was the celebrity chef who could speak to her followers. Cooking and Gold Medal Flour were central to the script. 
"If you load a man’s stomach with boiled cabbage and greasy fried potatoes,” Betty once told listeners, “can you wonder that he wants to start a fight, or go out and commit a crime?” But she also reminded women that their role as homemakers was important, and that their aspirations could be “as great as woman could have in any occupation.” 

In 1924, Betty Crocker debuted on the radio (on the nation's first cooking show). In 1936, Betty Crocker finally got a face: artist Neysa McMein brought together all women in the General Mills' Home Service Department and created a composite face. Over the next eight decades, Betty had several makeovers, facelifts and reconstructions.
We like the 1955 Betty best.


Gerber Baby


In 1928, Frank Daniel Gerber and his son Daniel Frank Gerber, yes, that's their name(s), of Fremont Canning Company wanted to promote their new baby food. The company had been a small packager of peas, beans, and fruits in rural Michigan. Daniel Frank Gerber managed to convinced his father Daniel Frank Gerber, to manufacture and sell strained baby food.

The Gerbers wanted a baby face to be the face of their their new baby food, and they held a contest. Amongst the many drawings and paintings submitted (including some elaborate oil paintings of baby portraits) was an unfinished charcoal sketch by Dorothy Hope Smith of Boston. Dorothy drew a five month old baby with tousled hair and bright blue eyes, using her neighbor's baby as a model. She offered to finish the sketch if she won, but the judges decided to use it as it was.

The Gerber Baby turned out to be so popular that over a decade later, the company changed its name to Gerber Products Company.


So, who was the original Gerber Baby? Her name is Ann Turner Cook, (photo above) a mystery author and former high school English literature teacher. 


KFC has a "Cheese Top" sandwich


It has finally happened, KFC has a "Cheese Top" sandwich in the Philippines that is literally, topped with cheese, on top of the bun.
 
The fried chicken sandwich has a garlic-parmesan sauce and a layer of  American cheese melting over the top of the bun.

KFC has described the dish as "the first and only cheese topped bun burger, which means, you have to touch the cheese also when trying to eat the sandwich.
What cheese is doing outside of the bun anyway, is something that is way beyond us.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

The President and the Varsity


President Barack Obama made a lunchtime stop at the Varsity restaurant.
While we are constantly reminded of obesity, leading by example may not be on the campaign agenda.
Obama reportedly ordered five chili dogs, four hot dogs and a cheeseburger for his staff, Mayor Kasim Reed and Reed's mother, Sylvia.
 



We can't seem to find the calorie count on the Varsity menu, oh well, if we were in Atlanta, we would be eating their too. 

Two cups of coffee a day can reduce the risk of heart failure and other ailments

 

Two cups of coffee a day can lower risk of heart failure, and that's good news, because heart failure has a worse survival rate than many cancers. 

The research suggests that regularly drinking moderate amounts of coffee can cut the odds of the cardiac trouble.
But on the other hand, drinking coffee all day is counter-productive.

The research showed that those who drank one or two cups of coffee a day were 11 per cent less likely to develop heart failure than those who don't drink coffee.
Heart attack survivors gained as much benefit as those with healthy hearts.
But before anyone starts thinking about drinking five or more, not so fast, researchers say, the extra cups a day isn't good for the heart.

Researchers really don't know why coffee seems to cut the odds of heart failure.
But other research also indicates that drinking coffee can help people live longer.
The US government researchers found that coffee you drink may be beneficial for people with ailments such as: heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, injuries, accidents, diabetes and infections, but not cancer.
It is also known that some people inherit genes that make them more reliant on caffeine than others.
Those with the 'caffeine addict' genes, need to drink more coffee to get the same buzz.


Monday, June 25, 2012

Japan sells first Fukushima fish after the nuclear crisis


It's been over a year now, and the first seafood caught off Japan's Fukushima coastline since last year's nuclear disaster went on sale Monday.
The sales were limited to octopus and marine snails because of the ongoing fears about radiation.
Octopus and whelk, (marine snail) were being sold because testing for radioactive cesium consistently measured no detectable amounts. They were caught Friday and boiled so they last longer while being tested for radiation before they could be sold Monday.


Flounder, sea bass and other fish from Fukushima can't be sold yet because of contamination. 
"It was crisp when I bit into it, and it tasted so good," said Yasuhiro Yoshida, who oversees the seafood section at York Benimaru supermarket in Soma, which sold out of about 65 pounds of the snails and 90 pounds of octopus.


The March 11 earthquake and tsunami last year left the coastlines of northeastern Japan devastated, and displaced tens of thousands of people. 
There is some hope now that things will improve, and that crabs would be next to go on sale as radiation had not been detected in them.
But there is a realization  that improvement will take time, perhaps years, especially for other kinds of fish.
Radiation amounts have been decreasing, but cesium lasts years.
The octopus and snail were selling at almost half of what they fetched before the disaster, he said. But he said people were buying Fukushima seafood to show support for local fishermen. 

Nobuyuki Yagi, a University of Tokyo professor studying the fisheries industry after the disaster, said serious concerns remain over whether anyone would buy Fukushima fish, and the key lay in finding the types of fish that don't store radioactive elements.

As the fishing industry takes small improvement steps, farmlands have also been contaminated, and every grain of rice will be tested at harvest in some areas before they can be sold. The image of Fukushima produce has been badly damaged and worried consumers are avoiding Fukushima-grown food.


Dogs : A Chinese Cuisine Tradition


These images show dogs being cooked and served up as a meal, and it's a popular Chinese tradition.

The dogs arrive alive in cages ready for the slaughter, cut up and cooked at the meat market in Yulin City, Guangxi province, China, and the dogs are chopped up and cooked in front of diners.


While many Chinese still enjoy dog meat, many object to the practice of beating dogs to death to release the blood into the meat.

We realize this whole thing is a tradition that dates back thousands of years.
We have no problem eating all kinds of meat, but when an animal is truly domesticated, well, that's where we draw the line. 
Having said that however, we also believe different people and different cultures have the right to eat what they want.




Sunday, June 24, 2012

Canadian Students are fed MOOSE POOP on school trip... while principal watched and did nothing



A 14-year-old girl was tricked into eating moose poop during a school canoeing trip while teachers, including the principal, watched and laughed. 


The girl, (photo above) Brook, and a 13-year-old boy, both from Walter Whyte School in Grand Marais, Canada, were given the droppings by an adult chaperone from a sandwich bag and told they were chocolate covered almonds.



They ate the ‘snacks’ during the three-day trip along the Mantario Trail as the principle, a teacher and a resource officer just watched and did nothing to stop the ridiculous, disgusting prank.

Some of the crap got caught in Brook’s braces and she was forced to scrub her teeth with lake water.
The eighth-grader sobbed as she describe how kids laughed when she put the droppings in her mouth.
 
A guidance counselor ignored her misery, telling her the poop was nutritious because ‘all they eat is grass’.
Brook said the other kids made fun of her, saying,‘I didn't trust anyone, I couldn't talk to anyone. I thought I was going to get teased.’
The stupid adult responsible for the repulsive joke said he didn’t realise it would upset her, (really?)
but for Brook the traumatic incident is still fresh in her mind.

Not that it matters now, but the principle will not be returning to her school in the fall.
The mother of the boy who was also fed the poop on the trip, said she is disgusted at what happened and has since pulled her son out of the school.

Even though the moose poop probably tasted better that most school lunches, how can we trust those responsible for a environment that is conducive to learning?
School superintendent Scott Kwasnitza said, 'first and foremost, the safety and well-being of the children is the top priority.'
If you say so Scott...

Saturday, June 23, 2012

The 1930s' burger experiment - A man eating only burgers for THREE MONTHS, without health problems


Jesse McClendon, Ph.D., a well known biochemist was hired to come up with an experiment which would prove that burgers were indeed safe.
So, White Castle commissioned an experiment in which a man was to eat up to 30 burgers a day for three months to prove they were safe to eat.

Bernard Flesche ate burgers three times a day and this great experiment was called the 'White Castle Project'.

This 1932 scheme was the idea of White Castle owner Edgar Waldo 'Billy' Ingram, the father of fast-food burgers in the United States.
 

One of the anti-burger people at the time was going around saying that burgers were 'about as safe as getting your meat out of a garbage can standing in the hot sun. For beyond all doubt, the garbage can is where the chopped meat sold my most butchers belongs, as well as a large percentage of all the hamburger that goes into sandwiches.'

As a result McClendon convinced White Castle to endorse his study, feeding a human subject only White Castle burgers, bun, onion, pickles and all, plus water for 13 straight weeks.
Bernard Flesche, a University of Minnesota medical student stepped forward as a willing participant.
'He started out very enthusiastic eating about 10 burgers at a sitting, but a couple of weeks into it, he was losing his enthusiasm,' wrote his daughter almost 75 years later. (that would never happen to us) 
His sister even tried to tempt him with fresh vegetables during his three month burger commitment, but he stuck to his burgers.

Flesche, who had spent 13-weeks eating burgers ended the burgerfest with no apparent effect on his health.

Well, all is well that ends well.
Speaking of ending, Flesche died from heart problems at the age of 54.
But that's just a small detail, and we can't let that ruin a good burger story.




Del Taco employee 'STABS customer who was complaining about botched order'

 
Gabriel (above photo) it seems, stabbed a customer in the stomach after a dispute over his botched order.
The customer at Del Taco complained about his order to 28-year-old Gabriel Villalba, who worked at the chain in Hemet California. (photo below)


The confrontation got so bad that Villalba stabbed the customer in the stomach with a knife.
The customer was driven to the hospital by friends.
His injury is serious but not life threatening.

Villalba was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and is being held on $25,000 bail.
 





Thursday, June 21, 2012

The 30,000 calorie last meal


Gary Carl Simmons, (photo below) (but he kind of looks like the guy in the photo above) anyway, he is the murderer who dismembered his victim, and wow, did he have a last meal to die for.


This guy ate two pizzas, five lbs of cheese, super sized french fries, nachos, cherry Cokes, milkshakes, strawberry ice cream and even more stuff.

Always thinking of others, his last words included: 'Now, let’s get it on so these people can go home'

His last serving was the lethal injection at the Mississippi State Penitentiary and was pronounced dead at 6.16pm.

He asked for one Pizza Hut medium Super Supreme Deep Dish pizza, double portion, with mushrooms, onions, jalapeno peppers, and pepperoni; pizza, regular portion, with three cheeses, olives, bell pepper, tomato, garlic and Italian sausage; 10 8-oz. packs of Parmesan cheese; 10 8-oz. packs of ranch dressing; one family size back of Doritos nacho cheese flavor; 8 oz. jalapeno nacho cheese; 4 oz. sliced jalapenos; 2 large strawberry shakes; two 20-oz. cherry Cokes; one super-size order of McDonald's fries with extra ketchup and mayonnaise; and two pints of strawberry ice cream. 
By our calculations, his last meal was almost 30,000 calories.

Ninety minutes before his execution, the Department of food and beverage, oops, we mean the department of corrections reported he had eaten about half his meal, and was still eating.

On behalf of all those who worry about obesity and death row inmates, here are the numbers:

28974 CALORIES,  2077 FAT GRAMS

Pizza Hut medium Super Supreme Deep Dish pizza 
2640 calories, 136 grams of fat.

Pizza, regular portion, with three cheeses, olives, bell pepper, tomato, garlic and Italian sausage 
710 calories, 34 grams of fat.

10 8-oz. packs of Parmesan cheese  (Five lbs)
8880 calories,  584 grams of fat.

10 8-oz. packs of ranch dressing (10 cups)
9600 calories, 1000 grams of fat.

Family size back of nacho cheese Doritos nacho cheese flavor
1000 calories, 52 grams of fat.

8 oz. jalapeno nacho cheese
362 calories, 26 calories.

4 oz. sliced jalapenos
32 calories, no fat.

Two large strawberry shakes 
2220 calories, 52 grams of fat.

Two 20-oz. cherry Cokes
520 calories, no fat.

One super-size order of McDonald's fries
610 calories, 29 grams of fat.
With extra ketchup  
80 calories, no fat. (for four packets)
And mayonnaise
320 calories 36 grams of fat. (for 4 packets)

Two pints of strawberry ice cream
2000 calories, 128 grams fat.

So, we have to ask, is life on death row is too comfortable?

Texas Senator John Whitmire has put an end to death row inmates receiving their choice of a last meal in the state of Texas. 

Senator Whitmire said, “It is extremely inappropriate to give a person sentenced to death such a privilege.” He cancelled the last meal privilege, saying that death row inmates set to be executed receive the same meal as the rest of the inmates.

That's what we were thinking...


Peach Cobbler for One Please


One of our favorite things to eat is peach cobbler and we want to share a classic recipe that will be yours, and yours alone.

You will need:

3 3/4 Cup unbleached all-purpose flour. 
4 Teaspoon baking powder.
1 1/2 Teaspoon salt.
1 Cup white granulated sugar.
3/4 Cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter (chop the butter into small cubes  or slices.
2 Cups of really cold heavy cream, and a little extra for brushing.
9 medium sized peaches - peeled and sliced.
1 Tablespoon plus 1 Teaspoon corn starch.
1 Teaspoon pure vanilla extract.

Next, here are the steps:

Step 1:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Step 2:
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/2 cup sugar.

Step 3:
Put your butter slices into the butter into flour mixture.

Step 4:
Using a fork, stir in cream until dough just comes together.

Step 5:
On a floured work surface, roll out dough to a 3/4 cinch thickness with a floured rolling pin. With a biscuit cutter, cut out 8 to 12 rounds of dough.

Step 6:
In a bowl, mix peaches, 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla.

Step 7:
Divide mixture among four 1- to 1 1/2 cup ramekins; top each with 2 dough pieces. Brush the tops with cream.

Step 8:
Bake cobblers on a baking sheet until the tops are golden brown (like in the above photo) and you see the bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Let cool 15 minutes. 

Serve warm or at room temperature with a giant scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.


Monday, June 18, 2012

A Picture is Worth 5000 Ducks


A Chinese farmer is out and about taking his flock of 5000 ducks for a stroll to a nearby pond.
The farmer says that not one of the ducks are part of some tricky migration maneuver.


Sunday, June 17, 2012

Recipe for Jack Daniel's found in a book in South Wales


The original recipe for legendary American whiskey Jack Daniel’s has been discovered in a very old book - in Wales.

Mark Evans, (photo above) was researching his own family history when he discovered the recipe in a book of herbal remedies.

It was written in 1853 by his great-great grandmother who was called Daniels and was a local herbalist in Llanelli, South Wales.

Her brother-in-law left the Welsh town at about the same time to move to Lynchburg, Tennessee, where the Jack Daniel’s distillery was opened three years later.

And at the Jack Daniel’s website it says the founder of the distillery was from Wales.

Mr Evans says the ingredients in his great-great grandmother's recipe match what goes into the best selling whiskey in the world.

He said: 'I’m pretty sure I’ve discovered the original recipe in great-great grannie’s book.

Jack Daniel's is the world's best-selling whiskey, but the history of the distillery's early records were destroyed in a courthouse fire, and little s known.


The whiskey distiller Jack Daniel (photo above) was originally from Wales before he emigrated to the U.S.

'I was doing some family research, looking at photographs and things, and I wanted to look at the family bible.

'At the bottom of the bookcase was this book.'

Mr Evans' grandmother Lillian Daniels Probert, who is 97 and living in Llanelli, can recall her own grandmother using the book to make herbal remedies and ointments.

He said: 'My great, great-grandmother wrote in the book in 1853, and Jack Daniel's is dated 1866, so it predates it.

'There is a link, because my grandmother’s grandfather's brother - my great, great uncle - left for America and nobody ever heard from him after a couple of letters.

'That was during the time that Jack Daniel's was set up, but more important than that, he was called John 'Jack the Lad' Daniel's.

'We know he went to Lynchburg, Tennessee, and I'm pretty sure he used great-great grannie's recipe to start off the whiskey business.'

A spokesman for the company said: 'We know our founder was from Wales - we would love to see the book and the recipe.'


Bangers Banned: because of 'religious reasons'

  
Roast pork and sausages have always been a favorite when it comes to British eating.
And may we add, it's also one of our favorites here in the Voodoo Kitchen.


But now hundreds of school children will be denied pork and those delicious sausages for school lunches because of 'religious reasons'.
Pork  has been banned by councils across the country because the wants of staff and pupils who are not allowed contact with it.

So, school kids who may enjoy pork will be denied pork because of the religious beliefs of others.
The decision has been criticised by MPs who have said the ban will cause unnecessary resentment among pupils and religious leaders who said they never asked for a ban in the first place.

Muslim leaders have only ever asked that halal and non-halal meat be handled separately in an effort to avoid any cross contamination and for clear labelling when serving school dinners.
'Children at mainstream school who are bothered would probably have packed lunches,' he said to the Sunday Telegraph. 
'Children who are comfortable with using the same cutlery and crockery as everyone else would choose their dishes from the options available. It is live and let live - we are certainly not calling for this.'

Even though schools offer a vegetarian option, many feel this is a campaign for political correctness.
There is a lot of people saying that pupils should be able to choose not to have pork or not, but it's unfair to deny those with no objection to the meat.
Decisions like these may cause resentment among students with the feeling that the majority has to adjust to the minority. 

We suppose the question becomes, where do you stop? 
We've always thought it was best to let the individual decide what to eat, and not be forced because of political or religious reasons.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Coke - the real thing in Myanmar


First things first - where is Myanmar? (Burma)
See map below.


Okay then, Coca-Cola says it plans to start doing business in the country for the first time in 60 years, 
Coca-Cola has also announced a $3 million grant for women's programs in Burma, and says it will return to the country as soon as the US government licenses companies to make such investments.
They plan to import its product from neighboring countries before setting up local operations. 

So, that leaves Cuba and North Korea as the only Cokeless nations in the world.

Niagara Falls and the other story


As Nik Wallenda celebrates his spectacular walk over Niagara Falls, did you know that Bobby Leach survived going over Niagara Falls in a barrel July 25, 1911, but later died after slipping on an orange peel?


He spent six months in the hospital recovering from injuries he suffered during the barrel fall, which included two broken knee caps and a fractured jaw.
But after all that, in1926, while on a publicity tour in New Zealand, Leach slipped on an orange peel.
The leg became infected, and eventually gangrene necessitated the amputation of the leg. Despite this extreme procedure, Bobby Leach died two months later.


Now you know!

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Let's Pizza Vending Machine



It's about time.
There is now a vending machine that makes fresh pizza to order, it will debut in the U.S. this year after its popularity in Europe.


For $5.97, the vending machine dishes up a 10.5 inch pizza with a choice of margherita, pepperoni, ham or bacon.  The dough is made fresh, assembled per order and boxed in about 2 1/2 minutes.  Infrared ovens allow the pizza to cook quickly.


Each pizza machine is connected to the Internet to control inventory and stock, each pizza machine contains ingredients for 200 pizzas.
A separate slot in the machine dispenses a pizza cutter and napkins. 


Wednesday, June 13, 2012

New York May Restrict Popcorn Next


Now the moviegoers could be next.

New York City officials and Mayor Bloomberg are now considering restrictions on foods like popcorn to milkshakes.
Popcorn may look innocent, but according to New York officials  you should be very frightened.
As a public service we have provided a photo below to give you an idea of how frightened New York should be.

 

Members of the New York City Board of health have shown support for Bloomberg's proposal. 
They then started thinking of other ways to cut the fat and make life miserable for even more people.
Member Bruce Vladeck proposed limiting movie-theater popcorn containers. 
"The popcorn isn't a whole lot better than the soda," he said. 
Another member suggested limits for milkshakes and "milk-coffee beverages." 
The board, whose members were appointed by Bloomberg, will vote on the mayor's drink proposal -- but agreed to a six-week, public-comment period before taking a vote.

Gee, we wonder how they will vote?



Tuesday, June 12, 2012

65% Say No To Ban on Super-Size Sugary Drinks


Mayor Bloomberg sent out the decree - No super-size sweetened drinks will be sold in New York City, that's if he gets his way, but most Americans oppose the ban.

A new Rasmussen survey has found that 65% of American adults oppose a law that would ban the sale of sweetened drinks larger than 16 ounces. 
Only 24% favor a law like the one Mayor Michael Bloomberg has proposed.
Eleven percent (11%) are undecided. (Really? these people can't even form an opinion?)

Well, we have an opinion - "leave us alone, we like butter, salt, fats and 64 ounces of sugar."



Sunday, June 10, 2012

Let Them Eat Cake


'Cake Boss' Buddy Valastro to sell some of his creations in US bakeries, grocery stores.

'Cake Boss' Buddy Valastro's decision to sell some of his creations in US bakeries and grocery stores.
Buddy Valastro says he has wanted to give an opportunity to taste the cakes most of us only watch him bake and decorate.

So Valastro has given his cake recipes to the family-run company that supplies his Hoboken, N.J., bakery with goods like sugar and flour to help create a cake line that could be mass produced.


Based on recipes of cakes he's made before, this summer we will see "Badda Bloom" — a two-layer cake, one chocolate and one vanilla, with a layer of fudge and covered in bright green, butter cream frosting with pink and purple flowers. The same two-layer cake will also be available in a more gender-neutral "My Party Cake" design of blue, purple and green balloons and confetti over a layer of bright yellow frosting.


"What makes me unique is my designs," Valastro says, "We came up with the designs, using my exact ingredients and baking instructions, down to how many revolutions for mixing the batter. ... I'm proud of this."

The cakes will be in bakeries and grocery stores across the country this summer.

"I just love what I do," said Valastro, a fourth-generation baker. "I love making cakes, and I'm good at it."

"Cakes are special," he said. "Every birthday, every celebration ends with something sweet, a cake, and people remember. It's all about the memories."

Valastro said he was a apprehensive about mass producing his cakes, which he describes as "delicious, old-fashioned, old-world cakes" using high-quality ingredients.

"I was a little like, `This is my baby. This is my name,'" he said.

But after months of planning, going over designs and taste-testing, "when they brought the last final prototypes, you couldn't tell the difference between their cakes and mine. For me, that's the biggest thing."

"We're about quality," he said. "I don't want people to get a bad cake. It will reflect badly on me."

The cakes will retail for $27.99. Designs and pricing for the fondant cakes are still being discussed. A list of bakeries and grocery stores where the cakes will be available will be released later this month.

We'll stay tuned.