KIM PAYNE SETS NEW RECORD & WINS GRAND CHAMPION AT SUGAR ART SHOW

            Kim Payne of Cheyenne was one of the many Sugar Artists from around the world that descended upon Tulsa the first of October for the Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show National Wedding Cake Competition.

            Kim has competed in seven of the thirteen years the show has been held. This year she set a new record by receiving the first place ribbons in Best of Division and Best of Show along with the Grand Champion Award in the Wedding Cake Division. In the past Kim has won 4^th place, 2^nd place and placed 1^st two times. “My friends teased me that it was time for me to be the bride and not the bride’s maid!” she exclaimed, “This was my year!”

            There were approximately 70 entries at this years show. The theme was titled “Wedding Cakes – Around the World”. The competitors were to find an inspiration from anywhere in the world and reflect that inspiration on the cake. Kim had an image in her head of a church steeple with a spiraling staircase. She was able to locate a church steeple in Copenhagen, Denmark that fulfilled her inspiration. “What makes the steeple so eye catching is that it has a spiral staircase that encircles the outside of the steeple,” Kim said. “There are still tours given at the church to climb the steeple but from what I read you need nerves of steel as the steeple is tall, the stairs are steep, the handrails are low, and the steeple sways in the sea breeze.”

            Kim spent several months in advance preparing the individual flowers before starting on the cake. “Everything on the cake must be edible,” she stated. “Each flower petal was individually molded and veined and the seashells individually molded and painted.”

            The top of the cake has a carved spiral staircase, complete with steps and a handrail. It reached a height of three-foot, without the bouquet. The bottom of the cake was more traditional. Some of the many details on the cake included bridgeless stringwork, handmade beads and piped embroidery. Everything on the cake must be made solely by the entrant, no purchased sugar pieces are allowed.

            The day before the competition Kim sent her husband B.J. to Elk City to pick up four large boxes from U-Haul to make a transportation container. After constructing the very large box, they realized that it would not fit through the side door of her mini van, but luckily it cleared the back door with a quarter-inch to spare!

            “The State Sugar Art Show started out small and was held in a local mall and is now held in conjunction with the Tulsa State Fair, as well as being aired on the Food Network,” Kim stated. Watch for details in the spring on the exact airing of the competition on the Food Network channel.