Designing Moms: Meet Shinmin

I had so much fun with Shinmin the other week inhaling yam fries, talking about our bellies and scrutinizing mobiles at the baby shop, Giggle. We were first introduced by a mutual client who exclaimed, "Shinmin does wonders with cakes, you need to meet her..." And she wasn't kidding! Shinmin's work is artful and in a league of its own. I am so happy to call her a cherished friend and introduce this Designing Mom (2 Be!) to all of you.

Name: My name is Shinmin. I’m a cake artist and mother-to-be. My due date is March 15^th 2009, which means that I still have about a month to go, but judging from the size of my belly and intuition, I feel it may be sooner. I’m so happy to be a part of the Designing Moms team.

What I do: My two obsessions are Food and Art. After studying graphic Design and painting at The School of Visual Arts in New York City, and subsequently taking an intense program in patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu in Sydney, I decided I couldn’t live without design or sweets. So I started a company where I could make art out of cake. That was the birth of my first baby, I Dream of Cake, established in 2003. Then in 2005, I opened a boutique in North Beach that was coined “The World’s First Cake Gallery” by Modern Bride.

What inspires me: I’m fortunate to live and work in San Francisco, a city bursting with bold colors and refined style. So I’m inspired by everything around me. A great print on a vintage dress, the feel of letterpressed paper, the city lights reflected in a street puddle, the smell of caramel cooking……

What’s a typical day in my life: I spend almost everyday in my cake gallery, building cakes to crazy heights, creating edible haute couture pieces, painting a portrait onto a cake, making fine detailed sugar flowers, and of course eating cake. An eight hour day at my studio can feel like a lifetime or fly by in one minute. Time is almost always a blur when working with sugar. After work, I cook dinner at home with my husband who is more of a foodie than me, and a better cook. But I always make dessert.