Masterpieces in Buttercream: Miri Nadler and Ten Bloom Cakes

“I was the first cake artist in the US to exclusively decorate using palette knives, and because I had no one to teach me, I’ve developed my own signature style.”

— Miri Nadler, Cake Artist

Image via @10bloomcakes

The mason jar has gone through an evolution over the years, from its humble beginnings as a canning tool for grandma’s vegetables, to cute glasses for sweet tea in Southern-inspired restaurants.  It then morphed into vessels for centerpieces at “rustic weddings” and now has a new purpose: a take-out container for moist cake layered with delicious buttercream from Ten Bloom Cakes, a unique bakery that recently opened on Matthews Station Street.

Owner Miri Nadler, who also creates beautiful, hand-painted cakes, says she thinks of the to-go mason jar as incapsulated cake slices. “It’s also a little something our bakery can do for the environment,” she added. “When you buy a cake jar, you can keep the jar and use it for something else, recycle it, or even bring it back to the bakery and we’ll give you a dollar off your next order.”

Image via @10bloomcakes

Nadler’s mason-jar to-go offerings are unique and delicious, but the cakes are a must-see.  Her method of decorating doesn’t rely on traditional gum paste or fondant, which you can eat but has been described as tasting a little like Play-Doh.  Instead, she uses a palette knife to “paint” three-dimensional designs on cakes with buttercream and whipped cream, so every bite of the cake is a pleasant experience.  She taught herself the process of palette-knife painting on cake after seeing women in Asia using the technique on Instagram.  

“I was the first cake artist in the US to exclusively decorate using palette knives, and because I had no one to teach me, I’ve developed my own signature style,” said Nadler, who has been featured in Southern Bride, The Knot, and The B Collective, among other media outlets.  Her cakes have been described as “perfectly imperfect,” but she likes to think she “strikes the delicate balance between elegance and whimsy.”

“As a woman business owner, safety was just as important to me as accessibility, and the small-town enclave feel of Matthews checked all the boxes.”

Image via @10bloomcakes

Nadler moved from Los Angeles, where she ran a luxury bakery, to North Carolina in 2015 to be closer to family.  She chose downtown Matthews as the site of her bakery because over the past five years, she said she’s seen downtown grow into a “vibrant commercial district that is tailor-made for walking and for families. As a woman business owner, safety was just as important to me as accessibility, and the small-town enclave feel of Matthews checked all the boxes.”

She has traveled throughout the United States to teach the palette-knife decorating technique, and has also taught classes in Canada and Israel to share her knowledge of this unique style.  If you’re interested in learning more about palette-knife decorating, she is offering a class at the Matthews store at the end of May.  Follow her on Facebook and Instagram at @10bloomcakes to see pictures of her cakes and tutorials of her unique technique, and drop into the shop (130 Matthews Station St, #1-H, Matthews) to order a cake for a special occasion or pick up a mason jar of deliciousness to go!

Matthews Meets the European Food Scene

Two transplants to Matthews are forging their way into the food scene and are bringing a slice of their heritage and roots with them.

Both Marci Dagenhardt’s Marci’s European Sweets and StrudelTeig, a food truck bakery owed by Marvin and Cora Adcock, are using recipes and recipe books provided by their grandparents. They represent the latest wave of ethnic food-vendors who are changing the palette and cultural landscape in and around Matthews. Both have been in business for approximately one year.  

Marci, originally from the Czech Republic, started baking when she was very young – especially Christmas cookies – a time-worn annual family tradition. Originally schooled in hospitality, Marci moved to the US to be a nanny.  After marrying, she turned to baking as a way to remain connected to her homeland. It also brought her enormous comfort.

When Marci’s beloved 93-year-old grandmother sent her 1947 recipe book last Christmas, she took it as a “sign” and began baking in earnest for others. She and her husband recently built their 4800 square foot home in Matthews, complete with a separate kitchen intended for her growing business. Not only does she now bake for a living, but the actual preparation and being in the separate kitchen space provide a way to relieve stress daily.

She fondly speaks of using marzipan as an ingredient, has baked many new European-style goods to find the perfect fit for her business, and constantly searches for new Czech recipes to add to her growing offerings. Recently, her cousin in the Czech Republic sent her a new fudge recipe – it’s all a way to remain connected to her family. Of her grandmother’s feelings?  “She loves it,” Marci said. “She’s so proud.”

And, now, it’s a new way to connect with others.

“I try to bring (food) to people to open their mind,” said Marci, noting that many people stop in to tell her about their grandparents who come from Europe. “I (sometimes) say, ‘Wow, I’m not here by myself!’ “

Moravian gingerbread, Linzer cookies, honey cake, poppy seed cookies, Bohemian and Moravian kolache, rugelach, and marshmallow fondant cake are just a few of her specialties. This is not just about business, she insists, but about “bringing people joy. …and experience something new… Sweet can be sweet, but not sugary-sweet (like in America). I want to help American people know the culture.  I want people to experience that there are (foods) different than what’s here." To get an authentic flavor, she imports some ingredients from the Czech Republic. She also ships her baked goods across the US.

Marvin Adcock brought together his desire to work for himself with the culture and cuisine of his Austrian-born wife, Cora (with a nod to some German and Swiss-cuisine specialties, and incorporating the cuisine of other  European/Eastern European countries). “My passion was to cook for people and use the recipes from her background,” he said. Last year, they purchased a food truck. “There are no European food trucks” around here, said Cora, who has drawn from country-favorites and used some recipes from her grandfather’s restaurant in Austria.

The couple takes pride in their all-natural, locally-sourced ingredients.

Their truck offers a way to be mobile and cater to many different crowds. They use their food truck for “foods that take less time to prepare” which include pretzels, Viennese Apple strudel, and Bavarian pretzel melt (grilled cheese), to name a few. They’ve also started a separate catering business which is quickly growing to include things like Speckknödel, Schweinebraten, Viennese Gulasch, Hungarian Krautstrudel, and Käsespätzle.

They, too, say that international travelers and fellow Austrians/Europeans come up to the truck in search of authentic foods they can’t find elsewhere.

While both companies have a strong online presence (for ordering), in the future, both groups would like to own small European cafés. For Marvin, that would be intended to serve breakfast foods; Marci would like a European coffee shop (adding on her husband’s passion for coffee) with two separate areas – one for people who wish to have quiet and the other side for “moms with kids.” “Every woman from my family goes to the coffee shop on Thursday…we talk….and the kids can play together. They serve small sandwiches, sweet stuff and have peace,” she said with a smile, noting that she is now the mother of a newborn.

For both entities, the opportunity to share their respective cultures here is not lost, nor taken for granted. “It’s not just food,” said Cora, adding that she also posts photos of Austria, on their site, to give a broader overview of the beauty of the country. “I think that the greatest part of America is the ability to live your culture (freely) here,” said Marvin.