Interview with Kerry Vincent
By Kathryn Gordon
Kathryn: Hi Kerry, can
you talk about whether cakes can be copyrighted?
Kerry: The answer is no – artistic license is
interpretation, and cakes cannot be copyrighted. Forget all that rubbish! Everyone is copying everybody.
Very often they don’t even realize they are doing it. Nobody
can have possibly seen all the cakes that were done in the world beforehand! Unfortunately, some new cake designers turn
around and claim that their rose petal style or whatever is copyrighted. What’s unique about a rose petal, or how you placed it on a cake? It may be pretty, but it’s not
spectacular.
Unless you know everything that the grand ladies of cake,
the trailblazers, have done over the years, you can’t claim an idea as your
own. Chances are it’s already been done
before fondant-style cakes even came to the United States; maybe it was done
before you were even born.
Budding cake
designers can join ICES, the International Cake Exploration Society
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Kathryn: What kind of situations where new cake
decorators claimed techniques/styles as their own have you seen?
Kerry: Once I heard someone claim on TV that they
were the inventor of the frill yet I
have a book that was published before they were born with the Garrett frill. In another instance someone tried to claim a
technique that they just didn’t know Colette Peters had first done and
published in 1984.
Almost all people begin by copying other people’s
cakes. The problem starts when they
start thinking they’re doing something different than anyone else and they can
claim it as their own. Then they bemoan
that someone has “stolen their cake.” It
is a load of rubbish.
Kathryn: There seems to be a lot of blogging about
this question at the moment.
Kerry: Get over it!
Everyone copies everyone – it’s the way of America. There are very few
unique ideas in our business.
Motivation for uniqueness should not be driving you. We live in a very litigious society. You can’t be inwardly focused in a
protectionist mode.
Don’t waste your time complaining on websites that someone
else took “your” cake design – you may in fact have taken “your design” from
someone else and you’re not even aware of it.
Come back down to earth – it’s cake!
Go back to spending all your time designing.
Kathryn: What cake designs are truly “Kerry
Vincent?”
Kerry: It takes someone else to point it out to you,
that what you are doing has never been done before. In 1984, Patricia Simmons (author of 4 cake
books, who had seen cakes all over Australia and abroad), visited me. She recognized that what I was doing was a
new and unusual technique. She
introduced it to the bi-annual cake conference that year and it was entered
into the historical record.
I invented “inlay in sugar,” but I didn't invent “inlay." That technique dates back to the art of the Roman and Greek empires. I've had two successes that way but even
with the Vincent Marquetry, people have knocked that off directly from my book,
which is fine, it is a how-to book, but don’t pretend to claim it.
Romantic Cake
Decorating
Kerry Vincent, Published by Merehurst Cake Decorating 2002
 |
Kathryn: What changes have you seen in the American
cake business?
Kerry: A few years ago there were 3-4 fondant
companies. When I last counted, there
were 35 and it may be higher. That’s
good stuff! It supports employees, families and generates revenue.
Also, we have developed many cable television cake
shows. I am all about the competitor,
and supporting their artistic endeavor.
I founded the Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show (and Grand National Wedding
Cake Competition) 19 years ago (Note: it
has been featured on Food Network several times). But I won’t support someone
who is stealing another person’s technique and claiming it as his or her
own.
(More info on the show here: Oklahoma Sugar Artists )
I am thrilled to have announced this week that for the first
time ever, a cake artist will be a judge for a mainstream free view network baking show. My dream is coming
true; this will allow access to
millions who cannot pay for cable. Access
will be worldwide, as well. It started in the UK and a US show is being
commissioned.
Kathryn: That’s a fantastic development! What do you recommend for new cake designers
to do, to pursue their dreams? How
should they focus their time?
Kerry: Refine your art. Pay your dues and focus on proper execution
of skills. A cake can look very pretty
and doesn't need to be “copyrighted.” Work damned hard and don’t take shortcuts
and you will become successful.
You should also investigate how your business set-up will
work (financially) or you may go bust before you even get it off the
ground. Just because your family believes
you are the world’s greatest baker doesn't qualify you as a great cake artist
(who can attract a paying customer base).
Get out there and do something new!
The flavor of the month will only stay that for that month. You have to keep striving.
You can follow Kerry Vincent on Facebook: Kerry Vincent on Facebook
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