Happy Kwanzaa!

African wedding cake designed by Soni, Botswana, Africa

African-Americans, from every phase of life in the United States, have been celebrating Kwanzaa since 1965. Founded by Professor Maulana Karenga, Kwanzaa is celebrated from December 26 to January 1. It is a warm, social, time where people gather to reinforce each other's spirit and friendship, and promote the seven basic principles honored during this holiday.

Today is the second day of Kwanzaa - Kujichagulia, which is a Swahili word for self-determination. In obervation of this principle, we are highlighting several African-American cake designers located in the New York City area. The first on our list is the fabulous Charmaine Jones, owner of Cakediva. The NYC Cake Decorators Meetup has been honored to meet and network with Charmaine Jones at the Wedding Cafe Bridal Lounge, her stunning shared space, located at 16 East 38th Street in the tony Murray Hill section of Manhattan.

Charmaine is the cake decorator to the stars and her prestigious client list includes, but is not limited to, Beyonce, Geraldo Rivera, Michael Jordan, Jay Leno, Susan Sarandon, Erykah Badu, Fat Joe, NBC, MTV, and Queen Latifah's mom. Cakediva's designs are featured in several books including "Jumping The Broom" and "Victoria's Romantic Weddings", and she has had numerous photo spreads in several well-known magazines. Did you know that Charmaine was the first noted cake designer to create and specialize in afrocentric and ethnic special occasion and wedding cakes? Charmaine, a formal model with a Master's Degree in Art, turned fabulous Cake Diva, is a warm, down to earth person who has a fascinating story to tell about her journey to fame in the world of celebrity cake design. Her main retail space is in Hoboken, New Jersey.