Baker Spotlight: Meet Jeannie Merant

Behind the Sugar: Blog Edition

Today we are excited to share our interview with the talented Jeannie Merant of Jeannie’s Specialties in Milford, Connecticut who donated a cake for Mesiah a “super sibling” to King who is undergoing treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).

Understanding. Loving. Supportive. Uplifting. These are all characteristics of the kids we affectionately call “super siblings” here at Icing Smiles. These are the children that sometimes miss a birthday when their parents are in the hospital for months at a time. These are the children that live in hospitals alongside their siblings spending holidays with nurses and doctors that have become extended family. These are the children that can’t go to school or daycare because their brother or sister has a compromised immune system and gets sick very easily. These are the children that rarely understand the why but seek to find the positive in every situation. This is Mesiah and he is a 2 year old super sibling; the chosen one, a devoted protector of his 4 year old brother King who is undergoing treatment for Leukemia.

In April of 2016 King started complaining of pain in his mouth. His parents took him to the dentist who wasn’t able to find anything but redness and concluded that it may have been a mouth sore. A few days later, still experiencing the same pain, King’s parents took him to his pediatrician who immediately sent him to the emergency room after his blood test results came back. It was discovered that his hemoglobin levels were dangerously low and that he would need a blood transfusion. After a second visit to the emergency room, another transfusion, and a follow-up visit to check his hemoglobin levels, King was diagnosed on June 6, 2016 with high risk Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).

Since King has been on chemotherapy, he has hit every bump in the road (infections, mouth sores, bone pain, severe constipation, malnourishment, chemo induced toxicity, etc.), yet Mesiah has constantly been by his side giving him huge hugs when he’s sad or down and holding his hand every step of the way.  So, to celebrate Mesiah’s 2^nd birthday Icing Smiles contacted Jeannie Merant with Jeannie’s Specialties in Milford, Connecticut to create a custom dream cake just for him!

We provided Jeannie with the theme and flavor of the dinosaur cake to celebrate Mesiah’s special day and boy did she WOW us with her first Call To Action! “I really enjoy the fact that I get to use my creative side to design a cake. There are no limits on what I can do. Because of this, I’m able to really put my heart and soul into creating that joy and excitement that comes with presenting a cake. The smiles I saw from Shameeza’s [Mesiah and King’s mother] and Mesiah’s faces when they saw the cake was such a great feeling! The best part about being a Cake Decorator is seeing the reactions you get.”

Jeannie’s passion has always been baking and cake decorating. “I absolutely love it and am always looking for ways to improve my skills! I am a member of a Cake Decorating group on Facebook and someone posted a picture of a cake that they donated through Icing Smiles. When I learned of the story behind it, I absolutely fell in love with the concept,” said Jeannie when asked why she loves being an Icing Smiles Sugar Angel.

She was initially looking for ways to practice her cake decorating skills without the cake going to waste. When she looked into the mission behind Icing Smiles, she immediately signed up. “I’m always telling people the joy and happiness that a cake can bring into someone’s life… that is why I do what I do. Icing Smiles prides itself in providing cakes to children with critical illnesses, creating smiles, and spreading pure happiness to those that need it the most,” Jeannie said.

So how exactly do you sculpt a 3D dinosaur? Jeannie said she had been longing to make a 3D carved cake and got some inspiration from pictures she found on the internet. She baked a total of 6 layers of vanilla cake; four 9″x 13″ rectangles and two 6″ squares. She attached the first 3 layers together with vanilla buttercream and began carving. She then used pieces of the last layer to build up the body of the dinosaur and to make the tail. She used the square cakes and a cake pop mixture (from the excess cake carvings) to form the head. After sculpting the cake, she covered it in white fondant and airbrushed it yellow then green and lastly added all the finishing details.

Jeannie said, “Shameeza shared a little bit of her story with me about King. You never really understand what children have to go through when they have cancer and the fact that she was so appreciative and kind towards me made this experience that much better. She shared pictures of King and Mesiah with the cake. I was in awe of how happy they looked and how, for that day, they could sit back, play with a mini dinosaur, eat some delicious cake, and not have to worry about anything else.”

Unfortunately Mesiah couldn’t have a big party due to King’s immune system, but everyone that saw and tasted his cake had nothing but great things to say. The family thanked Jeannie for donating her time and baking Mesiah’s amazing cake!

Thank you Jeannie for bringing a BIG smile to both Mesiah and King! We are so excited to have you as a Sugar Angel and look forward to seeing more “smiles” from you in the future.

To view more of Jeannie’s wonderful creations visit Jeannie’s Specialties on Facebook or Instagram!

To keep up with both Mesiah and King follow them here.