Karen Foster

Pastry Chef, Master Cake Decorator

Karen's business has had many names since I started in 1970. Karen's Cakes and Catering, Cakes & Catering by Karen, and Karen's. Now I am just known as Karen M. Foster. When I was expecting my first child, my mother sent me a Wilton book of Cake Decorating, and with much time on my hands, I read it. This was the beginning of what would be my lifestyle for many years to come.

In 1972, I thought it was about time for me to take a class in decorating, so I called the local YWCA and a woman who did cakes in Salem, was teaching a class. I went to talk with her, and took what few pictures I had of cakes that I had done, and wanted to sign up to learn MORE. After this person saw my pictures, she asked me if I could consider teaching a beginners class myself. I taught many people in the Valley, cake decorating classes for the next 2 years. Then I heard about the class in Chicago, which the original Wiltons taught, Norman, Mary Jane, Wesley and Martha Wilton. This would be the last class they taught as a team.

So I enrolled in the Wilton School of Cake Decorating, the only school of its type in the country. I came back to Salem as a "Masters Cake Decorator", including the European techniques, called gum paste, of making life like floral designs from icing. I taught cake decorating for Va. Tech extension, women's clubs and local schools.

Then I went into making cakes for different events and catering on a larger scale. My first shop was in 1974, and was located where "Mac & Bob's" is in Salem. Then I moved to the corner of West Main St. & Goodwin Ave. Then I moved to my home and catered out of it until I opened another Main Street business near Hardees by Wildwood Road. This was March of 1990. I expanded by doing catered events for all of the big businesses in Roanoke, up to the point of having 12 employees. But then I started to be more administrative and not working with the food and cakes, so I moved back into my house, until 1994 when I had a fabulous opportunity to go to work with one of the valleys most pronounced and prominent chefs. 

Chef Robert "Bob" Prophet at Roanoke College. There I received most of my "fine tuning" and finally became the pastry chef I had dreamed about. With Chef Bobs guiding hand, knowledge and experience, I became a true Pastry Chef. Here I learned the meaning of ganache, crème brulee, sauces with Grand Marnier, flan and chocolate confections housing rich red raspberries. All of a sudden I did not bake a cake, it turned to a sinfully elegant dessert of white chocolate mousse cake with raspberries, towering chocolate tortes on which curls of bittersweet dark chocolate repose, and the desserts became something to savor at the end of an elaborate feast that stirred our sense of taste, smell and adventure. My special thanks to an extraordinary chef, a person who shared his knowledge and wisdom, and allowed me to pick his brain, my working partner, my mentor and friend, Chef Prophet.

During my 30 years in business, I have designed many cakes, for many wonderful and exciting people in the Valley and in the United States. My most "unbelievable" cake was for Tony Orlando. Back in the 70's, a person from Warner Brothers Studio's called and asked if I would make a special birthday cake for Tony Orlando. He would be spending his birthday with the people in the Roanoke Valley, while performing at the Roanoke Civic Center. After the concert, he asked if the person who made his cake with a 2 foot high Oak Tree, tied with a yellow ribbon was still at the civic center, to please come back stage so that he may meet me. With wings on my feet, I obliged. This was a very rewarding meeting for myself as well as my daughter, who shared her birthday with a rather famous person. I have decorated wooded cakes to be placed in the back of a pick up truck for a local car dealership, that was 5 foot wide, and 4 foot tall, to be in a TV ad.

I have worked with many wonderful people at Festival in the Park, items for the Opera/Symphony dinner, have had the opportunity to prepare meals for Governor Wilder, businesses at the Symphonies Polo match, cocktail parties for Roanoke's most elegant clients, Center in the Square, and the list goes on and on. It seems like my business career just keeps on getting better and better.

For thirty years, I have been fulfilling my dreams, dealing with the most joyous clientele possible and being creative and allowing people enjoy my art. I parlayed a $1 book on cake decorations into a full-time, profitable business of cake-making. What little advertising I do per year, I feel that I have developed a reputation that few have the pleasure of acquiring in their life time. To the thousands of customers I have come in contact with over the past 30 years, Thank You.