Wellington sugar sculptor Dorothy Klerck flew the South African flag high as a member of the grand jury of the recent FIPGC Cake Designers World Championships in Milan, Italy, last week.
It is the second time that she has served as judge at this major international event, which fans of cake art call the “Cake Decoration Olympics”. It is held under auspices of the Federazione Internazionale Pasticceria Gelateria Cioccolateria (FIPGC).
“It was an honour to represent South Africa and Africa,” acknowledged Klerck.
She is a renowned sugar sculpture artist who honed her skills in art school, and thereafter taught herself to sculpt using icing, fondant and sculpting paste. She recently launched her own sculpting paste.
She is known for her life-sized 3D cake sculptures, including that of rhino, elephants and lion. These have been on display at local and international shows. For Mandela Day 2023 Klerck and her team created a three-metre high cake sculpture of the late South African president, Nelson Mandela. Said to be the tallest of its kind ever made, it was exhibited in Sandton as part of celebrations around his 100th birthday and the Cupcakes 4 Kids with Cancer initiative.
In the past few years, she has travelled to more than 30 countries to judge competitions or to host classes. In October she was in the USA to present private classes, and in November she will take part in the Cake International show in Birmingham in the UK. In April 2024 she will present a workshop titled “A dog’s life” at the International Cake Show in Australia. While there, she will also compete as part of a team of three international cake artists defending their title against a team from Australia.
South Africans will have a chance to learn from Klerck on 9 December when she presents a full-day workshop on how to sculpt faces in Cape Town. To book, contact Julie Donalds on 083 402 2331.
