Cake Man Raven
Encyclopedia
Raven Patrick De'Sean Dennis III, better known by the alias Cake Man Raven, is an American
baker and owner of the Cake Man Raven Confectionary bakery in Fort Greene
, Brooklyn
.
, New York City
, to Raven Dennis Jr. and Ruth Murrelle Dennis. Dennis was inspired to start baking by his grandmother, Evelyn Nowlin Murrelle, with whom he lived in South Carolina
during his youth. Dennis baked his first cake when he was nine. He sold his first cake when he was 13, when his school secretary bought two coconut pies for $2.50 each. Dennis attended the Mt. Pleasant High School, where he graduated in 1985. Before he graduated, he participated in cake shows and competitions throughout South Carolina. He participated in Marketing & Distributive Education Clubs of Americas competitions in the area of entrepreneurship, and his business plan won the top South Carolina award in 1984 and 1985. He went to the national convention in Kansas City
in 1984, received honors in the San Francisco during the 1985 finals and earned a scholarship. He received the nickname "Cake Man Raven" from an article in The Lee County Messenger.
Cake Man Raven attended Johnson & Wales University
and Brown University
, both of which are in Providence
, Rhode Island
. He then returned to Harlem and started baking cakes, mostly for children's birthday parties. He started a cake business called "All Occasion Cakes" and planned to go to graduate school in Cornell University
, but his plans changed with his grandmother died in December 1989. Cake Man Raven returned to Johnson & Wales University to pursue a master's degree in education. He spent some time working at a stock brokerage firm, but found he did not enjoy the work. Cake Man Raven has also carved ice sculptures, which has been featured in the World Trade Center
's Windows of the World and during the 1986 and 1988 Grammy Award
ceremonies.
He baked full-time out in Harlem and then he opened the Cake Man Raven Confectionary in 2000, at 708 Fulton Street in Brooklyn, where he sells his signature red velvet cake
, among other cakes. Raven's fans often refer to him as "Cake". Raven has served as a culinary artist to such celebrities as Bill Cosby
, Jay-Z
, Katie Couric
, Michael Bloomburg, Whoopi Goldberg
, Morgan Freeman
, George Pataki
, Patti LaBelle
and Jesse Jackson
. He has been featured on several national magazines and cooking shows, such as The View and Good Morning America. When Brooklyn Borough President
Marty Markowitz
was inaugurated in 2002, Raven baked a cake in the shape of Brooklyn Borough Hall
for the inauguration party.
He has baked several other large cake representations, such as of the Columbia University Library
and a giant wedding cake for the television reality series Bridezillas
. In 2003, he baked a seven-foot-tall, 12-foot-long cake of the Brooklyn Bridge
in honor of the structure's 120th anniversary. The cake required 20 people, five days of assembly and 22 hours of decorating. In 2003, for Mary J. Blige
's birthday party, Raven baked a four-foot-wide, 26-inch-tall cake celebrating all of her decisions, including with edible approximations of a CD, several fashion symbols, a life-size baby symbolizing Blige's spiritual rebirth and other factors. Raven baked a cake for Al Sharpton
modeled after a Bible
; for Cab Calloway
, he baked a cake shaped as a grand piano; and when Jam-Master Jay
died in 2002, he baked a cake in the shape of a large Adidas
sneaker. In 2005, Dennis baked the world's tallest wedding cake, a sponge cake
stood 15 feet high, was 16-by-16 feet, weighed 5,000 pounds, and was large enough to feed 30,000 people. The cake was unveiled to the public on ABC
's Good Morning America
. In 2008, Raven appeared on the Food Network
series Throwdown! with Bobby Flay
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
baker and owner of the Cake Man Raven Confectionary bakery in Fort Greene
Fort Greene, Brooklyn
Fort Greene is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Part of Brooklyn Community Board 2, Fort Greene is listed on the New York State Registry and on the National Register of Historic Places, and is a New York City-designated Historic District...
, Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
.
Biography
Raven Dennis III was born in HarlemHarlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, to Raven Dennis Jr. and Ruth Murrelle Dennis. Dennis was inspired to start baking by his grandmother, Evelyn Nowlin Murrelle, with whom he lived in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
during his youth. Dennis baked his first cake when he was nine. He sold his first cake when he was 13, when his school secretary bought two coconut pies for $2.50 each. Dennis attended the Mt. Pleasant High School, where he graduated in 1985. Before he graduated, he participated in cake shows and competitions throughout South Carolina. He participated in Marketing & Distributive Education Clubs of Americas competitions in the area of entrepreneurship, and his business plan won the top South Carolina award in 1984 and 1985. He went to the national convention in Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
in 1984, received honors in the San Francisco during the 1985 finals and earned a scholarship. He received the nickname "Cake Man Raven" from an article in The Lee County Messenger.
Cake Man Raven attended Johnson & Wales University
Johnson & Wales University
Johnson & Wales University is a private, nonprofit, co-educational, career-oriented university with four campuses located throughout the United States. Providence, Rhode Island, USA, is home to JWU's first and largest of four currently operating campuses. Founded as a business school in 1914, by...
and Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, both of which are in Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
. He then returned to Harlem and started baking cakes, mostly for children's birthday parties. He started a cake business called "All Occasion Cakes" and planned to go to graduate school in Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, but his plans changed with his grandmother died in December 1989. Cake Man Raven returned to Johnson & Wales University to pursue a master's degree in education. He spent some time working at a stock brokerage firm, but found he did not enjoy the work. Cake Man Raven has also carved ice sculptures, which has been featured in the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
's Windows of the World and during the 1986 and 1988 Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
ceremonies.
He baked full-time out in Harlem and then he opened the Cake Man Raven Confectionary in 2000, at 708 Fulton Street in Brooklyn, where he sells his signature red velvet cake
Red velvet cake
A red velvet cake is a cake with a dark red, bright red or red-brown color. It is usually prepared as a layer cake with either a vanilla, or chocolate flavor, topped with a creamy white icing or a cookie dough filling...
, among other cakes. Raven's fans often refer to him as "Cake". Raven has served as a culinary artist to such celebrities as Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby
William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
, Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
, Katie Couric
Katie Couric
Katherine Anne "Katie" Couric is an American journalist and author. She serves as Special Correspondent for ABC News, contributing to ABC World News, Nightline, 20/20, Good Morning America, This Week and primetime news specials...
, Michael Bloomburg, Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
, Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman is an American actor, film director, aviator and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won...
, George Pataki
George Pataki
George Elmer Pataki is an American politician who was the 53rd Governor of New York. A member of the Republican Party, Pataki served three consecutive four-year terms from January 1, 1995 until December 31, 2006.- Early life :...
, Patti LaBelle
Patti LaBelle
Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
and Jesse Jackson
Jesse Jackson
Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. is an African-American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He was the founder of both entities that merged to...
. He has been featured on several national magazines and cooking shows, such as The View and Good Morning America. When Brooklyn Borough President
Borough president
Borough President is an elective office in each of the five boroughs of New York City.-Reasons for establishment:...
Marty Markowitz
Marty Markowitz
Marty Markowitz is the Borough President of Brooklyn, New York City, the most populous borough in New York City with nearly 2.6 million residents. Markowitz was first elected borough president in 2001 after serving 23 years as a New York State Senator...
was inaugurated in 2002, Raven baked a cake in the shape of Brooklyn Borough Hall
Brooklyn Borough Hall
Brooklyn Borough Hall was designed in 1835 by architect Gamaliel King, and constructed under the supervision of superintendent Stephen Haynes. It was completed in 1849 to be used as the City Hall of the City of Brooklyn...
for the inauguration party.
He has baked several other large cake representations, such as of the Columbia University Library
Columbia University Library System
The Columbia University Libraries is the library system of Columbia University. With over 10.4 million volumes, is the sixth largest academic library in the United States; it is the third largest library — and the largest academic library — in the State of New York...
and a giant wedding cake for the television reality series Bridezillas
Bridezillas
Bridezillas is a reality television show produced by DCD Media-owned September Films and airing on the WE cable-television network. It follows the lives of women engaged to be married, casting their busy schedules in an emphatic and sometimes humorous fashion...
. In 2003, he baked a seven-foot-tall, 12-foot-long cake of the Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River...
in honor of the structure's 120th anniversary. The cake required 20 people, five days of assembly and 22 hours of decorating. In 2003, for Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
's birthday party, Raven baked a four-foot-wide, 26-inch-tall cake celebrating all of her decisions, including with edible approximations of a CD, several fashion symbols, a life-size baby symbolizing Blige's spiritual rebirth and other factors. Raven baked a cake for Al Sharpton
Al Sharpton
Alfred Charles "Al" Sharpton, Jr. is an American Baptist minister, civil rights activist, and television/radio talk show host. In 2004, he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. presidential election...
modeled after a Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
; for Cab Calloway
Cab Calloway
Cabell "Cab" Calloway III was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was strongly associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City where he was a regular performer....
, he baked a cake shaped as a grand piano; and when Jam-Master Jay
Jam-Master Jay
Jason William Mizell , better known by his stage name Jam Master Jay, was an American musician and rapper. He was the DJ of the influential hip hop group Run-D.M.C. and helped define the sound of the band, the style of the black hats and Adidas shoes that came to be the band's trademark. During the...
died in 2002, he baked a cake in the shape of a large Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
sneaker. In 2005, Dennis baked the world's tallest wedding cake, a sponge cake
Sponge cake
Sponge cake is a cake based on flour , sugar, and eggs, sometimes leavened with baking powder which has a firm, yet well aerated structure, similar to a sea sponge. A sponge cake may be produced by either the batter method, or the foam method. Typicially the batter method in the U.S. is known as a...
stood 15 feet high, was 16-by-16 feet, weighed 5,000 pounds, and was large enough to feed 30,000 people. The cake was unveiled to the public on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
. In 2008, Raven appeared on the Food Network
Food Network
Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....
series Throwdown! with Bobby Flay
Throwdown! with Bobby Flay
Throwdown! with Bobby Flay is a Food Network television program in which celebrity chef Bobby Flay challenges cooks renowned for a specific dish or type of cooking to a cook-off of their signature dish....