Renowned master pastry chef Ron Ben-Israel will be the featured presenter at this week’s Lower Cape Fear Hospice Festival of Flowers.
Ben-Israel, known to fans of Food Network’s “Sweet Genius,” will show attendees how to make edible flowers.
Flowers with a Sweet Twist, presented by Lower Cape Fear Hospice Foundation and One Belle Bakery, will be at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 26 at Coastline Convention and Event Center, 501 Nutt St. in Wilmington. Guests will create their own edible floral masterpiece to set atop a cupcake to take home. Tickets are $50 per person. Complimentary valet service will be available.
“The idea for this year’s ‘twist’ on the festival came from the event chairwoman, Jean Rosenberg. Jean had participated in a similar class with this year’s A Set Table presenter, Matthew Robbins. She thought festival guests would enjoy a fresh take on flowers this year,” said Lindsey Champion, LCFH development manager. Champion said Ben-Israel was approached about the idea and agreed to do the event to support Lower Cape Fear Hospice.
“We’re thrilled and excited to offer Festival of Flowers guests the opportunity to learn how to make beautiful, confectionery flowers from someone as accomplished and renowned as Ron Ben-Israel,” Champion said.
A former dancer, Ben-Israel fell in love with a chocolate-maker while on tour in Canada and later traded his ballet slippers for a whisk and a spatula. The discipline he acquired during his years of dance training and his performance schedule helped him as he pursued his new vocation. He traveled to France and apprenticed in Cannes, Beaujolais and Lyons.
Ultimately, New York provided Ben-Israel with the most exhilarating and challenging stage for his culinary visions. According to Ben-Israel’s bio on his website www.weddingcakes.com, in less than a decade, his artistry has become legendary and he has become known as America’s cake maestro.
Ben-Israel has appeared on “Oprah Winfrey,” “Martha Stewart Living” and “The Late Show with David Letterman.” His specialty and wedding creations are often featured in national publications, including Town & Country and New York Magazine, and have been prominently highlighted in books such as “Vera Wang on Weddings.”
The two-day Festival of Flowers opens at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25, with A Set Table, presented by Fiore Fine Flowers and Paysage Home. A Set Table will be at Bakery 105 Events & Catering, 105 Orange St., Wilmington. Guest presenter, Pina Cate, along with Robbins, will do a presentation about what flowers can add to a home. Robbins, senior partner and creative director of Matthew Robbins, is author of “Inspired Weddings” and works with Martha Stewart. To learn more about Robbins, visit www.matthewrobbinsdesign.com.
Tickets for A Set Table are $150 per person.Tickets for both events are limited and are expected to sell out. For event details and to purchase tickets, call 910-796-8099 ext. 6 or visit www.hospicefestivalofflowers.org and click on the “Registration” link on the main page.
Event sponsors include Livin’ Out Loud, Coastal Beverage, Windham Distributing, Fiore Fine Flowers, One Belle Bakery, Paysage Home, Schaeffer BMW and Wilmington Cremation and Funeral. Sponsorships are still available by contacting Champion at 796-8047 or email [email protected].
Lower Cape Fear Hospice is a nonprofit agency that provides healthcare and comfort to people with advanced illnesses; support and counseling to families; and education to the community in Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, Onslow and Pender counties. For more information, visit www.lcfh.org or facebook.com/lcfhospice.
