Who will be the first you ask and how did we choose??? That one is an easy one!
Let me introduce to you Robert (Bob) Calabrese of Robert Edward Woodworking located in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey. Bob is an incredibly talented woodworker who designs unique and exquisitely detailed, hand carved wedding cake and cupcake stands. Bob was chosen as our first “Feature Friday” not only because of his incredible talent, but by how we met him – over Facebook! Thanks to the power of social media, it’s another planner to vendor match made in heaven! Planners and brides alike are going to love this product for their special event!We asked Bob how his career creating custom designed cake stands began and here is what he had to say:
“My love for woodworking started at a very young age – probably about 10 or 12. I was always making things from scrap pieces of wood from my Dad’s workshop. As I got older, my attention shifted to pencil sketching, oil painting and much later photography – particularly architectural photography. During a recent trip to Savannah, Georgia I took many photographs of all the beautiful homes in the historic district. I thought I might try and sell some of my work. One of the homes I photographed was the Mercer Williams House, in my opinion, the most beautiful home in Savannah. I sent some of my photographs to the owner and Carriage Shop manager and we developed a very good relationship. I mentioned to the Shop Manager that I do woodworking – things like very detailed birdfeeders, candle holders and planters. The Shop Manager liked my work, but didn’t think there was a market for it. She suggested I build a replica of one of the gazebos in Savannah and try to sell it as a wedding cake topper. Since this gazebo was popular for weddings, it might be of interest to wedding planners. It took me several months to build the gazebo, but once it was completed, I was totally hooked on woodworking. Building that gazebo convinced me to start a woodworking business and in 2008 Robert Edward Woodworking was born. The gazebo cake topper idea never really took off, but it lead to the cake stand concept after speaking with one of the wedding planners in Savannah.
“My love for woodworking started at a very young age – probably about 10 or 12. I was always making things from scrap pieces of wood from my Dad’s workshop. As I got older, my attention shifted to pencil sketching, oil painting and much later photography – particularly architectural photography. During a recent trip to Savannah, Georgia I took many photographs of all the beautiful homes in the historic district. I thought I might try and sell some of my work. One of the homes I photographed was the Mercer Williams House, in my opinion, the most beautiful home in Savannah. I sent some of my photographs to the owner and Carriage Shop manager and we developed a very good relationship. I mentioned to the Shop Manager that I do woodworking – things like very detailed birdfeeders, candle holders and planters. The Shop Manager liked my work, but didn’t think there was a market for it. She suggested I build a replica of one of the gazebos in Savannah and try to sell it as a wedding cake topper. Since this gazebo was popular for weddings, it might be of interest to wedding planners. It took me several months to build the gazebo, but once it was completed, I was totally hooked on woodworking. Building that gazebo convinced me to start a woodworking business and in 2008 Robert Edward Woodworking was born. The gazebo cake topper idea never really took off, but it lead to the cake stand concept after speaking with one of the wedding planners in Savannah. Many, many people in the wedding and event industry that I have had the pleasure of coming into contact with over the past 2 years have been unbelievably supportive in helping me promote my work. However, there are three that I must acknowledge.
Collette Foley, owner of Collette Foley Specialty Baking in New York City put me in touch with editors of several major wedding magazines after we exchanged only a few e-mails. Her positive support and frequent advice helped me immensely as I tried to find my way into the wedding industry. Collette created an opportunity for me to build my first round stand for an Elegant Bride Magazine photo shoot.
Collette Foley, owner of Collette Foley Specialty Baking in New York City put me in touch with editors of several major wedding magazines after we exchanged only a few e-mails. Her positive support and frequent advice helped me immensely as I tried to find my way into the wedding industry. Collette created an opportunity for me to build my first round stand for an Elegant Bride Magazine photo shoot. 
Kerry Vincent, famed Food Network judge and cake decorator, responded to the first e-mail I sent her by asking me to call her. She said she wanted to offer me some advice on how to market my work. One day I saw Kerry on TV and only a few days later I was actually talking to her on the phone! To say I was thrilled doesn’t even come close. That was almost 2 years ago and Kerry remains unbelievably helpful. Each year I work with Kerry in designing and donating a cake stand for her Oklahoma Sugar Art Show in Tulsa. I am completely impressed with the time she has devoted to helping me and countless others. She is a gem of a person.Nancy Kay, owner of Nancy Kay Confections in Santa Barbara, California sent me pages of advice relating to starting my business as well as advice specific to the wedding industry. After knowing NancyKay only a few weeks, she was kind enough to take the time from her very busy schedule to contact me with advice.”
What a fantastic story! Our design team loves creative people and learning how they got their start. We love Bob’s product and are happy to share it with the world. We think he is definitely the ACE OF CAKE STANDS!! The price points for his product are fantastic with Cake Stands ranging from $170 - $300 and Cupcake Display Stands ranging from $200 - $415 for 3 and 6 tier displays. Coffee table stands are also available!
If you would like to meet Bob and see his gorgeous cake stands in person, he will be showcasing at the ISES New Jersey North Chapter Cake-Off Kick-Off at Harborside Creative Catering in Jersey City on September 22nd! You can register for the event online at http://www.isesnjnorth.org/.
If you can’t make it to the event but would like more information about designs and pricing, feel free to contact Bob directly at:Robert Edward Woodworking
Phone: 201-393-0507
Cell: 201-394-4835
Fax: 201-462-0634
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