Michelle Scurio seems on Foods Network’s Holiday Wars
BROCKTON — Brockton native Michelle Scurio will be competing with other “ho-ho-holiday break fanatics experiencing off for a chance at the $25,000 prize” on season 4 of the Foodstuff Network’s “Holiday Wars,” a holiday-themed baking and cake-decorating opposition clearly show.
Through the level of competition reality show, “teams of cake masters and sugar artists face off in jolly battles to generate brain-blowing, fantastical holiday displays that are as festive as they are delectable,” according to the Food stuff Network web-site.
Scurio, the founder and proprietor of Cake Monstah in Weymouth, results in luxury marriage ceremony cakes and personalized-sculpted theme cakes, which includes “realism cakes.”
Realism cakes are cakes in the condition of every day objects that glance so lifelike, they could possibly just idiot your eyes.
Scurio has whipped up these delectable optical illusions in the form of every thing from a Converse sneaker, to a 3D sculpted fish to Sauron from Lord of the Rings.
And if she takes place to offer you you a plate loaded with a juicy cheeseburger and fries, she may just be handing you dessert. Her sensible “cheeseburger” is truly a sweet development of fluffy white cake and fondant, and individuals “fries” are none other than rice cereal treats garnished with a dollop of “ketchup” designed from a lot more delicious hand-sculpted fondant.
Scurio mentioned her individual beloved confectionary development is a Harry Potter “Monster E-book of Monsters,” entire with a minor green sculpted dragon perched on top rated and fleshy gums and spikey fangs guarding the creamy, scrumptious contents — manufactured all the much more pleasurable to dig into by its forbidding exterior.
Scurio, who grew up on the north aspect of Brockton in the vicinity of the Lithuanian Village, attended Brockton educational facilities, graduating from Brockton Significant Faculty in 2010.
“I was lifted by a single mother who worked quite tough to give me any option at the daily life I have now,” she mentioned of her mother Diane Scurio, who nevertheless lives in Brockton. “My mother has spent the earlier 30 years of my lifestyle rallying powering me with help.”
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Michelle started her organization, Cake Monstah, at just 17 when she was nevertheless a senior in significant school just after she experienced began baking for relatives and pals.
“I got improved and better as time was going on and I realized this was my enthusiasm and I required to go to faculty for it,” she mentioned.
“Both of my mothers and fathers are artists,” she stated. “My chosen medium is cake.”
Right after graduating from significant university, Scurio attended Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, exactly where she researched culinary arts, earning a bachelor’s diploma in baking and pastry arts with a focus in administration in 2014.
Scurio even invested a semester abroad in her sophomore year, attending pastry school in France.
“It was a really awesome encounter,” she said.
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Scurio worked for two higher-finish catering corporations in Boston, becoming an govt pastry chef by the time she was just 25.
But in 2018, she decided to quit her sector career and go after her enterprise comprehensive-time. Because then, she’s been functioning for herself creating artistic, exquisite wedding cakes and personalized sculpted cakes.
“Combining art and meals collectively is my aspiration circumstance, so whenever I can incorporate painting, drawing, sculpting and air brushing, those people are the initiatives I enjoy the most,” she claimed.
The Foods Network discovered her Instagram web site and “was impressed with all of the cakes,” she said.
They informed her they believed she would be “a terrific fit for the clearly show” and that they would enjoy to do an job interview with her, she explained.
The Food Network selects different people today from all over the nation and places them into a team collectively. Contributors meet for the initial time on the present. There are a few members in a team, every single with unique specialties: a cake sculptor, a sugar or chocolate artist and a baker. Teams are envisioned to appear up with some thing cohesive from all a few of their artistic designs.
“Some groups are blessed plenty of to have someone with chocolate and sugar knowledge,” she mentioned.
Scurio and her mother knew they experienced to select a workforce name prior to she acquired to the present, so they started off throwing around names and arrived up with “Red Velvet Vixens” and it trapped.
“Red Velvet Vixens felt fitting for the period. Vixen is one of Santa’s reindeer, but we are all women of all ages, so it appeared extremely fitting,” she reported.
Scurio pitched it to the team and they beloved it, she reported. Each and every group voted on which identify they desired to use and hers was picked.
Scurio traveled by herself to Salt Lake City, Utah, to film the show. She was picked up at the airport and whisked absent to start out filming.
Every single team member wears an apron presented to them by the present. Crew customers ended up requested to wear white shirts and festive components.
She has finished filming but just cannot say how a lot of months she’ll be featured on the show.
The show is just not the first time Scurio’s been identified for her sweet creations. Her cakes have been showcased in “American Cake Decorating” journal and in “Cakes & Sugarcraft” magazine in the United Kingdom. Her operate was highlighted in “The Knot” marriage ceremony journal and she has received “The Knot Very best of the Weddings” award for the final five several years. She’s also been highlighted in “Satin Ice,” the major fondant manufacturer in the United States, and BakeDeco, which sells baking provides.
Williams Sonoma reshared photos of her cookies on its Instagram website page past year, and Peloton reshared a photograph of a custom-manufactured cake on its Instagram web site.
Given that announcing that she’s heading to be on the Meals Network, the outpouring of really like and aid has been mind-boggling, she claimed.
A single of her kindergarten academics arrived at out to her as very well as a Franklin Elementary Faculty buddy she had lost contact with.
Her pretty much 5,000 Instagram followers have amplified by 250 considering the fact that the announcement.
“I’ve had so many new inquiries and brides achieving out to me, it’s been astounding. I just can’t even envision what is heading to take place when the display airs,“ she said.
She reported she has beloved the Foodstuff Network’s “Halloween Wars” and “Holiday getaway Wars” for a long time. And in college, she watched the Food stuff Community and read food journals.
“I never ever imaged I’d be in journals or on tv for my artwork,” she reported.
“It means so substantially to me to have the total neighborhood of Brockton driving me,” Scurio explained.
The 1st and 2nd episodes of “Holiday Wars” air on the Meals Community on Sunday, Nov. 6 starting off at 9 p.m.
“It’ll be a surreal experience looking at myself on tv,” she explained.
To put a custom made buy with Cake Monstah, go to her Instagram website page or her web-site at www.cakemonstah.wixsite.com/cake, e-mail [email protected] or contact 508-577-9603.
Staff writer Kathy Bossa can be reached by electronic mail at [email protected]. Support community journalism by obtaining a electronic or print membership to The Enterprise these days.
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