Homemaker magazine

What with such a busy term at University, being introduced to all the new skills required to become a fashion journalist we had to write an article on our own chosen interviewee writen in the style of our choice of magazine. Here's my article on Jane Asher's patisserie chef Josephine Stiles for Homemaker Magazine. I hope you enjoy reading it.

 

 

“There’s so much variety from a total Wipe-out cake to an insect bite decoration, bespoke is definitely taken to a whole new level”

Elizabeth Mitchell steps inside the world of foremost bespoke cake company Jane Asher and speaks to one of its leading patisserie chef’s Josephine Stiles about how cakes are becoming the centre of attention.

25 year old, Josephine Stiles, to homemakers like us is a rising star just waiting to pull the apron strings and go it alone. Being part of the glue that holds Jane Asher together, Josephine’s career sky rocketed, having only been there for less than two years she has already crafted cakes for the likes of Sir Philip Green and The Duchess of York- “she often has strange orders, she even wanted a dog urinating on a champagne bottle” laughs Josephine.

Early Days

Growing up in a family orientated household in Essex with her mother always in the kitchen and weekends were spent baking, Josephine has always been attracted to that sweet smell. “I’ve been cooking for as long as I can remember, in secondary school I did my work experience at London Cake Company but I never really thought about it as a career.” Despite this, Josephine could never stop being drawn back to cooking: “the whisk was always stuck to my hand, not even pliers could tear us apart.” Nonetheless, wanting to please her family and go to University first, it only took six unsettled weeks studying a degree in French and Italian at Reading University and a holiday in France where she was told “you should become a pastry chef, that’s where the money is because they are in such short supply” for her to realise her true career dream. Going back to where her inspiration came from with the likes of Peggy Porchen and Eric Lanlard and realising that they all mentioned or studied at Le Cordon Bleu Josephine thought she should indulge too. “It was an intense course but it had such a fun environment… they taught me to be a perfectionist- a slave to my art.” Her skills and the start of her career went from strength to strength, interning at Little Venice Cake Company, and landing a job there until being offered a job at Britain’s leading cake company Jane Asher.

On the up

Josephine’s eclectic skills and decorative eye certainly did not go unnoticed, in just eight months working there she was given the honour to be on the cake decorating team of two for Topshop tycoon Sir Philip Green’s 60^th Birthday extravaganza last March. “It was a lot of responsibility and quite high stress but it was such an honour…Sir Philip Green’s cake was very regal with its ivory icing laced with olive green vine leaves and his royal crest, it was very prestigious. While his daughter Chloe’s 21^st birthday cake was a three-tiered masterpiece displaying her shoe range for Topshop with her mint green logo at the top, I must say the wedges and heels did look very realistic.” Robbie Williams must have thought so too when he ran off with one. Despite the trip appearing to be oh so luxurious when they were privately flown to the Rosewood Mayakoba Resort in Mexico, it went downhill quickly when the ingredients to decorate the cake with were held at customs. “Everything was so unorganized, we didn’t know where we would be working, we didn’t have half of the stuff we needed, and we eventually had to raid the hotels icing supply. I felt like some kind of criminal.” After such a manic time: “the best part was once the last cake was out we got to enjoy the party with Chris Brown and Cee Lo Green performing and I even bumped into Michael Buble, that was definitely a weak at the knees moment”- if we didn’t envy Josephine enough before we sure do now. “Kate Moss was misbehaving everywhere she went causing rows with Gwyneth Paltrow, she was definitely a wild one. Naomi Campbell was surprisingly tamed though but I won’t name drop who was raiding the minibars dry” laughs Josephine.

Celebrity Clients

With the company being the foremost in Britain for bespoke cakes and the figurehead being the ‘Queen of cakes’ you would expect to see a client list that is heaving with influential people. “I’ve made cakes for a variety of people from Take That to The Prime Minister, the variety is extraordinary.” Josephine tells us that Naomi Campbell was particularly tamed but her cake designs tell us differently: “for Valentine’s Day last year she had a heart with a model of her futuristic house in Germany put on top.” Despite the high-brow clientele “I personally try to do all my cakes to the best standard whoever the client is but I would love Rylan Gosling to eat my cake and it would be extra special for him.” We are with her on that, who wouldn’t want him? With cake or without.

Onwards and Upwards

This July marks Josephine’s two years at Jane Asher, but as her skill set flourishes she is eager to go it alone.  “I only knew the basics when I started working here, at my interview I didn’t even know how to make 3D models now I do a lot of 3D shoes especially Louboutins.”  Needless to say whatever cake design it is it looks like fun is the key ingredient: “there’s just so much variety from a total Wipe-out cake to an insect bite decoration, bespoke is definitely taken to a whole new level” laughs Josephine.

Nonetheless, the kitchen doors cannot restrain Josephine any longer:  “I want my own bespoke company, and to do a bit of teaching- mother and daughter workshops- just have a bit of fun with cake decorating, like I did with my Mum.” Here at Homemaker we are sure that Josephine won’t be behind the doors for much longer, she is definitely aspiring to be something much bigger and what’s not to stop her with talent like that. Even despite all the glamour of all these clients, Josephine remains true to herself, even if she is making outlandish and ridiculous cakes for instance The Duchess of York’s asking for members of the Royal family to be made into ludicrous positions.  One thing us homemakers are happy about is thank god nobody tried to get that whisk out of Josephine’s hand with pliers.