By Elijah Mckenzie
Geof Manthorne is not your typical celebrity. The chef from Charm City Cakes, the bakery in the television series Ace of Cakes, dropped by the University of Louisville on Thursday, Nov. 12 to spend some time with students on campus.
Similar to the wacky cakes created on his show, Manthorne’s mission here was to create a cake in the shape of the Cardinal Bird mascot for the university.
“I watch his show occasionally,” said freshman nursing major Ashley Brooke Johns. “The most memorable episode for me, though, was when Geof created a haunted house wedding cake, which was so awesome and unique.”
The event, which was free for students, but cost $10 for the public, allowed people to see a live cake-making demonstration. Afterwards, students could meet and chat with the star himself.
With student assistants from Sullivan University at his side, Manthorne showed off his cake-making talent in front of a packed audience in the multipurpose room of the Student Activities Center. Students lined up, not only to see the cake expert at work, but also for the chance to personally meet the television personality.
“There seemed to be no divide between the audience and Geof,” said sophomore English and humanities double major Brian Ensminger. “It was nice to see that kind of down-to-earth celebrity, and I would definitely like to have more events like these on campus.”
Though live cooking shows aren’t typically known for much excitement, students felt that the entire performance never had a dull moment, largely thanks to the fun dialogue between Manthorne and the students.
“So what do you guys do for fun around here?” Manthorne jokingly asked the audience, as he worked onstage. “Go ride horses at Churchill Downs or something?”
It was one of the many lines Manthorne used to relate to the Louisville population, while keeping the show light and humorous.
“I loved how Geof was so quirky, funny and super cute,” said sophomore psychology major Sara McPhillips. “He just seemed very real and friendly.”
One moment in particular, that sent the students into a frenzy of applause and jeers, happened when Manthorne prepared bits of fondant icing for the Cardinal Bird’s teeth. Piecing each tooth one at a time, Manthorne said, “It looks like your mascot is missing some teeth here and there, maybe because he’s been chewing on too many Wildcats.”
After the demonstration, several students were given the chance to ask Manthorne questions about himself and his show.
One student wanted to know the origin of Manthorne’s cake-making hobby, asking when he knew he wanted to make cakes for a living.
“I don’t know when I decided I wanted to do this,” Manthorne said. “Cooking and baking became a passion of mine, and eventually it landed me in the position I’m in now.”
Another student asked if the Charm City Cakes crew has ever turned down a cake order, because of the sheer craziness of the idea.
“Some things are just impossible to create with cake,” Manthorne said. “For example, we had a request to create a trombone-shaped cake, which is very impractical, because it would be nothing but a bunch of tubes. So we try to steer the ideas that we receive into a central theme that’s doable.”
