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The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.
PHOTO PROMPT © Jennifer Pendergast
CLICK THE FROG TO JOIN THE PARTY!
Genre: Memoir
Word Count: 100
ICING FOR JOY
My decorating supervisor, Mack had an undeniable presence. Although I’ve no photo of him, I have an image in my mind that will never fade. Bushy white moustache and flushed cheeks under a flat cap.
He had been creating gorgeous cakes since I was in diapers. Flowers crafted from extra-stiff icing were his specialty. Roses. Daisies. Pansies. Chrysanthemums.
Eyes twinkling, he called me “Whats-Your-Name.”
A better mentor I couldn’t have asked for—never stingy with his tricks of the trade. I’ll always cherish the greatest compliment he ever gave me. “You can do anything I can, and you know it.”
****
Mack also told me I had a bright future as a cake decorator. I never told him that wasn’t exactly the future I was hoping for. 😉 From him that was huge. He’s gone now. I really wish I’d taken a picture or two of him.
A few of my favorite cakes through the years.
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple 
Thank heavens for the world’s cake makers. They get us through the hard times
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I suppose you could say that, Neil. 😉
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Those look incredible – a woman of many talents! And now I’m thinking cake would be good for lunch today…
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Dear Iain,
Thank you for your kind words. I always approached it as another art form. However, when I retired, I never wanted to decorate another cake again in my life. Bon apetit.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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These are stunning cakes, I love decorating them myself. I’ll never be this good.
I was going to try the Friday challenge. However, I can’t because I have no idea what the Inlinkz code is. Why is this essential can we not just do a pingback like all the other prompts on WordPress?
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Hi Mason,
Thank you re my cakes. Working in a bakery took the fun out of a lot of it for me. I’m getting ready to get back into it a little bit…as a gift and an artform. 😉
As for the inLinks, I’ve been using it for 9 years now . It’s an efficient way to keep track of all the offerings and not as daunting as it might seem at first. If you click on the frog under the prompt it will take you to the instructions. You can leave your link on my page but not many will see it. If you decide to participate I’ll be happy to help you with the inLinks. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Hello, Rochelle.
I had the same problem with writing. When I tried to go professional and publish. I failed and the love vanished. I had to abandon publishing to be able to enjoy it again.
Your cakes will be magical gifts to receive.
I will look at the prompt and try a story this afternoon. Hopefully I can InLink it okay.
Thank you so much.
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A lovely description in honor of your deceased decorating supervisor, Mack, Rochelle. He sounds like the perfect boss. Thanks for the gorgeous pictures. 🙂 — Suzanne
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Dear Suzanne,
Mack was one of a kind. He was pretty near perfect. 😉 Glad you enjoyed my pictures. They were some of my favorites over the years. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rochelle, Those are come incredible cakes! Condolences on your loss. Sounds like quite a guy.
Anne
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Dear Anne,
Mack was a unique individual, that’s for sure. 😉 Thank you for your kind words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A generous mentor can be life-changing, m’lady.
Cool tribute
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Dear CE,
True story. Thank you. ❤
Shalom,
Rochelle
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He sounds like a real character and a real artist, and so are you, at least the artist side – great cakes.
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Dear Trent,
Mack was both character and artist. He applied his floral art to porcelain outside of the bakery. Never got to see any of those flowers though. Thank you for your generous comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
A fabulous mentor makes all the difference, doesn’t it? So glad you had him at the time. Now? Onto other things!
Shalom and lotsa frosted, love,
Dale
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Dear Dale,
Sorry for being so slow to reply this week. At present I’m only halfway through the stories. Sheesh. Busy week away from the computer.
Mack was a fabulous mentor…a bit on the cantankerous side which just added to his charm. Definitely onto other things. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom and lotsa sugar-coated hugs,
Rochelle
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Please, do not fret over such stuff. Mentors, cantankerous ones, especially, are the ones who end up meaning the most!
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OKay, I think I did the Inlinkz bit right. Just in case. I’ll leave my story here too. Thanks for the prompt.
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Sounds like he was that rare thing – a good boss, Rochelle. Thanks for using my photo on a day I needed a pick-me-up! I can’t wait to see the stories it brings.
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Dear Jen,
Always happy to offer a lift for a friend. 😀 Mack was a rare thing indeed. He made going to work fun. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Keep the lifts coming; the powers that be have just announced that schools are closed. Starting tomorrow.
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A smiling, skilled, validating mentor is a blessing. I’m sure he’d be pleased with your story.
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Dear Lisa,
I think Mack would’ve been pleased with the story. Alas, his prophecy for me didn’t quite come true. 😉 I do still dabble in the art form once in a while…on my own time and terms. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rochelle, you are very welcome and I appreciate how you live life on your terms.
Shalom,
Lisa
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Wow! Those are some gorgeous cakes!
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Thank you, Bernadette.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A character as colourful as his cakes! A lovely memory Rochelle
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Dear Keith,
He and his cakes were colorful, although the photos below are of my cakes. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Mack taught you well. You certainly made many beautiful cakes over the years. An artist in edible sculpture. It served you well and gave you a retirement bound trade to which we are both appreciative of. Good job.
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Dear Jan,
Decorating was great fun until it wasn’t. 😉 At the end it was mostly a stressful nightmare. However, no regrets in retrospect.
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Your artistry crosses so many different genres! Those cakes are wonderful. I especially love the draping flowers.
And you had a wonderful mentor, as well. What a gift to be able to encourage you the way he did 🙂
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Dear Linda,
Like Mack, flowers have always been my favorite part of decorating. He taught me how to make them in a bakery setting which is very different than what I was taught as a home decorator. I’ll always be grateful to him for that. Thank you for your sweet words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A lovely tribute to a real teacher, Rochelle. A delight to know that people like that pass on their skills. (Fabulous cakes too!)
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Dear Jenne,
I was quite fortunate to have Mack as a mentor and friend. He was cantankerous and funny besides. I do miss him. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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We all have mentors in our lives who come from unexpected directions. Maybe you never planned to be a cake decorator, but you are obviously very skilled at it. The hamburger made me laugh, and a little hungry. Great stuff, Rochelle!
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Dear Eric,
I learned the hamburger cake from Mack. Actually I have my dad to thank for cake decorating. He was a cook and a baker and decided when I was in my 20’s that we should take a class together. His arthritis made it hard for him to squeeze the bags so he gave me all of his equipment. So that’s two mentors for the price of one. 😉 I miss them both dearly. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I am always amazed by such artistic feats. I have zero artistic ability. Those are lovely cakes. Each one a masterpiece.
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Dear Nobbin,
I did enjoy the decorating…in the end it was the micro managers that took the fun out of the job. I’m only now looking to doing a little decorating on the side. Thank you for you kind words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
What a wonderful friend and mentor you had. He encouraged you to believe in yourself. You were truly blessed to have him for the time you did. And what a heartwarming tribute. Those cakes look yummy 🙂
Shalom,
Adele
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Dear Adele,
Mack was a unique individual, part artist, part cantankerous old man. Altogether fun. Because I worked on my 40th birthday, he decorated my cake in the deli’s walk-in cooler so I wouldn’t see it ahead of time. Thank you for your kind words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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You’re welcome, Rochelle. Thanks for sharing your memories of him with the rest of us 🙂
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What a lovely mentor to have and thanks for sharing a slice of your life 😉
Man I love that Hamburger cake.
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Dear Subroto,
I did a few hamburgers over the years. I always did them the way Mack taught me. 😉 Thank you for your sweet words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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You can do anything. Period 🙂
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Dear Dahlia,
That might be going a little far. 😉 But thank you. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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What a wonderful memory of a great mentor. And those cakes! It is indeed an art. But when art becomes work, it’s not always fun. I suppose with cake decoration you need to heed the clients’ wishes and that would be stifling the creative flow,
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Dear Gabriele,
There were a few hard-to-please customers, but in the end it was more about micromanagers who made the work environment hostile. I’m looking forward to doing a wedding cake for a friend of ours this summer. I can go at my own pace and enjoy creating. 😉
Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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As long as you have your mental image of him, that’s all that matters.
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True story, Liz. Thank you your encouraging words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Wow! Those are amazing decorations!
Loved this!
Mine was a bit … less … um, professional, but no less enthusiastic … 😉
Na’ama
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Na’ama Y’karah,
Creating was the fun part of the job. The micromanagers at the end made it a nightmare. 😉
Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Ah, I bet! I don’t think I’d appreciate being micromanaged. Blech.
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A wonderful mentor is a very sweet deal to have! Delightful!
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Dear Susan,
I do miss those days when it was fun. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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❤
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My empathies for your loss. As the cakes, they are so very yummy as is the story you baked.
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Dear Neel,
Thank you for your sweet and tender words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A lovely story about someone who was important to you. Your affection shines through your writing. 🙂
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Many thanks for your kind words, JWD. Mack is definitely missed.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Sounds like a character worth knowing. It looks like you both created some incredible edible pieces of art! Lovely story and beautiful tribute, Rochelle. =)
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Dear Brenda,
He was a character indeed. Thank you for your generous comments and compliments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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He sounds like a good boss. I’d like one of those cakes, please 🙂
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Dear Ali,
Afraid those cakes have long since been eaten and I’m retired. 😉 Books and artwork I do have for sale. 😀 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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no doubt about it, you’re one of the few who can have your cake and eat too. 🙂
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Dear Plaridel,
Only problem with having my cake is I’m gluten and sugar free. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Beautiful cakes. This week reminds me how my daughters loved baking, it took a little extra effort and my help to clear up afterwards.
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Dear James.
My dad used to love to tell stories about my kitchen disasters. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I am sure every experience was a lesson worth the effort.
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It’s really great to have a good mentor… one who knows just how to challenge you without breaking you. He was right, ya’ know, your cakes are beautiful! This spoken from one who can’t even ice a cupcake without crumbs. LOL!
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Dear Bear,
I’m only starting to get interested in doing some decorating. I’m looking forward to decorating a wedding cake for a friend’s daughter this summer. It’s been a while so we’ll see if I’ve still got it. 😉 Mack was a sweetheart. Thank you for your kind words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Love bakers who can make these types of cakes! SO pretty!
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Thank you, Athling.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Lovely stuff Rochelle, Mack sounds like a pretty special chap.
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Dear Shrawley,
A special chap indeed. He was cantankerous, demanding and just plain adorable. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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What amazing cake decoration, icing become an art form. I’ve never come across a decorating supervisor before. He sounds like a lovely person and you were a talented trainee. An uplifting story Rochelle.
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Dear Francine,
Thank you for your generous comments. Mack was a character. I truly enjoyed working with him.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Wow… Just… Wow
Those cakes Rochelle! Masterpieces. What a lovely and inspiring teacher and baker! And by the sound of it, a good man! This is a lovely memory to share.
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Dear Laurie,
I’m happy you enjoyed my very special memory about a special man. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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That is wonderful! A lovely story for a lovely mentor. I was looking for that facebook: 😲 because those cakes are brilliant!
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Dear Sascha,
Thank you for your generous comments. Happy to share a good time in my life.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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