Meet Chef Vanessa Greeley

Behind the Sugar: Blog Edition

Meet Sugar Angel Chef Vanessa Greeley with Vanessa’s Cake Designs, LLC in Glen Rock, NJ. She is a proud graduate of the French Culinary Institute in NY and she has been seen on Telemundo, WEtv, and the Food Network to name a few! In addition, she has been featured in several magazines and newspapers and has competed in many cake shows and competitions during her wonderfully exciting culinary career.

When she’s not baking or teaching, Chef Greeley enjoys giving back. She heard about Icing Smiles through other cake enthusiasts on Facebook. “The smiles on those children are infectious and so rewarding! It’s a true privilege and honor to be able to put a smile on those precious and cute little faces,” she said when asked what prompted her to become an Icing Smiles Sugar Angel.

Making a difference has been the most enjoyable moment for Chef Greeley. A cancer survivor herself, she knows firsthand how it feels to be sick for an extended amount of time. With the love and support of her friends and family, she pushed through her circumstance and now she is grateful for the opportunity to give back and help families that are going through similar times.

She received that opportunity not long ago when NJ State Representative Janet Woudenberg contacted her for her next “call to action.” Three-year-old Angelina (an Icing Smiles sibling) desired a Minnie Mouse cake to celebrate her birthday. Since Chef Greeley has visited Disney many times in the past, she wanted to make sure Angelina received a big, happy, and festive Minnie Mouse cake for everyone to enjoy! She prepared a lemon cake filled with vanilla buttercream and fresh strawberries. For the topper, she downloaded the image from the internet and transferred it onto to a gumpaste plaque. She then hand painted it with edible colors.

To create Angelina’s name in the traditional Disney font, Chef Greeley downloaded the freeware from www.mickeyavenue.com and printed her name on edible image paper from Icing Images. The cakes were covered in Renshaw fondant graciously donated by Larry Italiano. The bottom tier was decorated using silicone molds from Marvelous Molds and the fun flowers that adorned the cakes were made using fondant.

Ironically, Angelina shared the same birthday with Chef Greeley! She states, “…when I heard she needed a cake I jumped at the opportunity to make it. It’s not that often that you get to do what you love best, and, for a sweet little girl like Angelina. Seeing her smile when she looked at her cake made my own birthday that much more special. Her family was so nice and sweet that they even gave me a birthday present! This is one birthday I will never forget.”

Angelina’s mom shared, “Thank you so much, Angelina had a great day and the cake was beautiful. She was so excited.”

Thank you, Chef Greeley, for bringing a BIG smile to Angelina’s face! We are so excited to have you as a Sugar Angel and look forward to seeing more “smiles” in the future. To view more of her wonderful creations, see where she’ll be teaching and demonstrating next, or learn about the latest tools and techniques used in the industry to decorate your confectionery creations visit her website.