Local woman wins gold at prestigious culinary competition despite 'rocky start'

Cake decorator to the stars and the owner of cake decoration company, Novel-T Cakes, in Parkwood, in Tubber, on the Offaly/Westmeath border, Tanya Ross, won Gold in the Small Decorative Exhibit Class at the Salon Cullinaire competition in London recently.

Ms Ross was invited to compete in the competition for Team Ireland but unfortunately, got off to a rocky start as her entry was badly damaged going through airport security in Dublin.

She said that she thought the cake was “beyond saving” as the heads and wheels were broken off, the motorbike was damaged and the sidecar was broken. “Needless to say, I was disappointed and peeved, after all the work, for it to be smashed to bits, it was carnage,” added Ms Ross.

Despite the setback, the award-winning cake decorator fixed the cake as much as she could before the competition. Ms Ross said that she was “completely shocked and surprised” when she discovered that she had secured Gold for the cake.

Ms Ross also claimed Gold and Best in Class in both the wedding cake and carved cake categories at the IFEX Salon Cullinaire in Belfast last month.

The award-winning decorator has previously made cakes for the likes of Bob Geldof, the late Shane MacGowan, John Sheehan and Conor McGregor, along with cakes for the Late Late Show and the Ray D'Arcy Show.

Tanya has won awards all over the world, and she was named among the Top 10 cake artists across all of Ireland and the UK in 2020 for her elaborate cakes.