Raven Patrick De'Sean Dennis III, better known by the alias Cake Man Raven,^[1][2] is an American baker and owner of the Cake Man Raven Confectionary bakery in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.^[3]

Biography

Raven Dennis III was born in Harlem, New York City, to Raven Dennis Jr. and Ruth Murrelle Dennis.^[4] Dennis was inspired to start baking by his grandmother, Evelyn Nowlin Murrelle, with whom he lived in South Carolina during his youth.^[2] Dennis baked his first cake when he was nine.^[4] He sold his first cake when he was 13, when his school secretary bought two coconut pies for $2.50 each.^[5] Dennis attended the Mt. Pleasant High School, where he graduated in 1985.^[6] 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.^[4]

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.^[2] 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.^[4] 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.^[4]

.]] He baked full-time out of his Harlem apartment for almost 10 years until 1991, when he started his own retail space. It took another 10 years to secure the funding and, with the help of friends, he opened the Cake Man Raven Confectionary in 2000, at 708 Fulton Street in Brooklyn, where he sold his signature red velvet cake, among other cakes.^[5] Raven often refers to himself as "Cake".^[2] 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.^[6] 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.^[1]

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.^[6] 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.^[2] 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.^[2] 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.^[2] 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.^[6] In 2008, Raven appeared on the Food Network series Throwdown! with Bobby Flay, in which celebrity chef Bobby Flay challenged him to a contest over who could make the best red velvet cake. Flay defeated Raven in the contest.^[7]

References

External links

• Cake Man Raven (official site)

Raven Patrick De'Sean Dennis, III, grandson of the late Mrs. Evelyn Nowlin Murrelle, son of the late Raven Dennis, Jr. and Mrs. Ruth Murrelle Dennis, currently resides in Linden, New Jersey.


Born and raised in Harlem, New York, a young Raven "Cake Man" Dennis, III, dreamed of going south to grandma's house and soon his dreams came true. At the age of four, he wanted to do everything he could to stay outside. Trying to be like grandma, Raven grew flowers and vegetables, and made mud pies and mud cakes, while his grandmother baked and cooked family dinners. At nine, he made his first cake and at 13, sold his first creation: two coconut pies to his elementary school teacher Gloria Bowman for $5.00, which currently sell for $16.00 in his Brooklyn Confectionery.


During his years in high school, his talents in baking allowed him to win cake shows and competitions all over South Carolina. Soon his high school teacher introduced him to Marketing & Distributive Education Clubs of Americas, where he competed in the area of entrepreneurship. His business plan won the top state award in 1984 and 1985.


While holding the title of Mr. South Carolina, he then went on to the national competition in Kansas City in 1984, and received honors in the San Francisco finals in 1985. Raven returned with top honors and a scholarship.


After graduation from Mt. Pleasant High School, he carried the name "cake boy," later maturing to Cake "Man" Raven, a name given to him by the local newspaper, The Lee County Messenger.


He continued his education at Johnson & Wales University and Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Holding his South Carolina business cards in pocket, which simply read "All Occasion Cakes," he aspired to go to Cornell University for graduate school, but when his grandmother died in December 1989, his plans were shattered. He returned to Johnson & Wales in 1998 to pursue a Masters Degree in Education while working as an Admissions Officer for Johnson & Wales and as an undergraduate advisor of the Lambda XI chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.


During this period throughout college, Raven worked at the New York Hilton Hotel as a room service waiter and later became night captain. During the dayshift, he worked at Georgeson's on Wall Street in a stock brokerage firm. After finding that numbers were not his forte, he returned to making wedding and special occasion cakes.

In addition to his travels in "Cakedom," there is yet an untold story; he is also called "Ice Man." He has carved ice in the historical World Trade Center's Windows on the World. He created ice carvings for the Grammy Awards from 1986 to 1988. He also worked with International Management Group as a corporate dining room manager. Amidst the turmoil, Raven decided that he would bake full-time in his apartment until he was able to rent a storefront or purchase a building.


In December of 1991, a reporter wrote an article on the Cake Man calling him "Harlem Cake Man Raven." Within the same week, CBS Weekend news called, and filmed a program on the cakes called "The Rage in Harlem." Raven's experiences in the south created the training that enabled him to travel the world with his cake creations. He has created cakes in eighteen states and four countries worldwide.





During his travels in "Cakedom", there is yet an untold story,

"Ice Man"


He has carved ice in the historical World Trade Center's Windows on the World . Carvings of ice has taken his name to the Grammy Awards from 1986 to 1988, he stared working with International Management Group as a corporate dining room manager. Amidst the turmoil, Raven decided that he would bake full-time in his apartment until he was able to rent a storefront or purchase a building.


In December of 1991, a reporter wrote an article on the Cake Man calling him "Harlem Cake Man Raven." Within the same week, CBS Weekend news called, and filmed a program on the cakes called "The Rage in Harlem." Raven's experiences in the south created the training that enabled him to travel the world with his cake creations. He has created cakes in eighteen states and four countries worldwide.


The year 2000 brought tragedy to "Cake man," when his father died. However, the darkness soon turned to light. Raven branched into his life goal of owning a full-service bakery and confectionery, obtaining a space at 708 Fulton Street in Brooklyn, which has been the home of the official home of "Southern Red Velvet Cake," a thriving business for the past 18 months. The signature cake the Red Velvet has been sent to Japan for Thanksgiving, Manchester & London for Valentines Day, Hong Kong on tour with a local dance company. During travels in Cakedom, Ice carving for the Grammies Awards 86-88, Espy Awards, Daytime Emmys, from Apollo Halls of Fame to Rock-n-Roll Halls of Fame have been the back drops his creations. International Management Groups allowed him the privilege to create elaborate Grade' manager displaying for the US Games both in New Jersey and London .


Cake Man prays that God will continue to bless him in his
business, community and life endeavors.



You can now buy a slice of the famous red velvet cake on
708-a Fulton St. Brooklyn New York 11217-1625 - 718.694.CAKE (2253)




CAKE MAN RAVEN