Sylvia Weinstock
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
January 28, 1930
- Hunter College (1951)
- Queens College (1973)
Sylvia Weinstock | |
|---|---|
| Born | Sylvia Silver January 28, 1930 Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Died | November 22, 2021 (aged 91) Tribeca, New York, U.S. |
| Education |
|
| Occupation(s) | Baker, cake decorator |
| Years active | 1949–2021 |
| Spouse |
Benjamin Weinstock
(m. 1949; died 2018) |
| Children | 3 |
Sylvia Weinstock (January 28, 1930 – November 22, 2021) was an American baker and cake decorator.[1][2][3] She was known for creating elaborate, multi-tiered wedding cakes decorated with botanically accurate sugar flowers. She also designed intricate trompe-l'oeil cakes resembling objects such as cars, crates of wine, and Fabergé eggs.[4]
Sylvia Silver was born January 28, 1930, in the Bronx, New York.[4] She was raised in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Her family lived above their shop, which sold liquor and later became a bakery.
Weinstock earned a bachelor's degree in psychology in 1951 from Hunter College. She later obtained a master's degree in education from Queens College in 1973.[2]
Career
Weinstock began her professional career as an elementary school teacher on Long Island.[4][5] She began baking cakes for local restaurants and apprenticed with pastry chef George Keller at the suggestion of André Soltner of Lutèce.[4] She founded her cake business at age 50, following her recovery from breast cancer.[6][7] William Greenberg, a fellow bakery owner, began referring clients to her for wedding cakes.[2] After moving to Manhattan from Long Island, she began baking for private events at venues such as the Carlyle Hotel.[4] In 1983, she and her husband renovated a warehouse in Tribeca into a four-story home and headquarters for Sylvia Weinstock Cakes.
Weinstock created cakes for many celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey, Kim Kardashian, and Martha Stewart.[8] She preferred not to use fondant, describing it as "cheap and easy."[4] Instead, she favored buttercream, sugar flowers, and stenciled designs.[9] Bon Appétit magazine dubbed her "the Leonardo da Vinci of wedding cakes."[2]
After retiring from commercial baking, Weinstock appeared as a guest judge on the Food Network series Chopped Sweets and Top Chef: Just Desserts.[10] She also appeared in season 1 of the Netflix series Nailed It!, where she was described as the show's "secret weapon."[6] She also taught cake decorating at the Institute of Culinary Education.[4]
Personal life
In 1949, at age 19, she married Benjamin Weinstock (1925–2018).[2][11] They settled in Massapequa, New York, and raised three children.[4]