For a brief spell, I worked at one of Toronto's best production houses-Blue Moon Productions. It was there that I met June Weber - cake artiste par excellence who made me a German Chocolate indulgence for my birthday years ago.

Since then, her fame and popularity has grown (rightfully so)- thanks in part to her fund-raising endeavours for her daughter's Canadian Olympic sailing team (see photo). You want a bite of the action? Head to Toronto's Springbank Avenue's Annual Street Sale (this Saturday, May 27th, 2006) where June will offer her sweet treats and coffee for a good cause! Tell her Mary Luz sent you!

Vital Stats:

Where were you born? Montreal

How old are you? At least 29 ...

Where do you currently reside? Toronto

Occupation? Jack of all trades, producer, project manager, so many hats......I'm a hat person.

Brief Bio

I'm really an artist, but I don't like being pressured by commerce to create, so I draw what and when I want. Having said that, I have always been in creative fields, writing, film, television, etc. BlueMoon Productions in Toronto is a small but busy television production company, producing a wide variety of projects.

Questions:

You're a fine cook and baker. How did you learn to cook/bake and where did your love of food stem from?

I learned to bake first, probably because I loved to eat those marvellous European pastries, so I knew what I wanted. The first thing I made was a torte, seven layers I think, I didn't know it was difficult, which was probably a good thing.

Your daughter Deirdre Crampton is a Canadian Olympic sailor. Tell us a bit about how you've chosen to fund-raise for her team via the cake subscription concept.

Raising money is never easy. After struggling to get financial assistance from corporations and running fundraisers where you work like mad and make very little money (while tormenting your friends and family), I fell upon a curious and successful solution. At an annual street sale I was encouraged to offer baked goods and coffee to the people attending the giant garage sale. I didn't charge a specific price for the sweets or coffee but suggested people could make a donation to the team.

I offered about 30 varieties of goodies and people kept returning for more, and wanted to know if they could buy whole cakes, etc. The cake of the month subscription concept was born out of that triumph. The subscription was wildly successful with some people opting to give 12 cakes to some cause, or to have single cakes delivered to friends and family members over the year. Everyone seemed to have fun with the concept, and they got a tax receipt too. So it was a win-win situation.

How successful has the cake subscription idea been in helping your daughter and her team to reach their Olympic goals?

Certainly we did not raise enough in donations to pay for her Olympic campaign, which costs about $200,000. 00 over the 2 ½ year period. However we did raise awareness. Perhaps the most important thing about having people participate in the cake project was the recognition, by the subscribers, of just what the team had to go through to qualify for the Olympics. Most Canadians are sadly ignorant of our amateur athletes, and the Olympic process.

What, in your estimation, makes a GREAT cake?

Moisture and flavour, I guess.

What's your most requested flavour/variety?

People seem to fall into two categories vis a vis cake preference. Some are fruit fanciers and some are rich frosting/filling fanciers. But almost everyone loves chocolate cake. My personal favourites- plum cake and mocha cake.

Are these family recipes you're using in making these cakes or favourites that you've found over the years?

Some recipes are tastes that I have replicated from my childhood. My mother was an exceptional baker, and although I do not have any of her actual recipes, I hope I have succeeded in recreating some of her specialties.

If someone wants your cakes, where can they reach you and what area do you offer these cakes to?

I will deliver cakes in the Metro Toronto area, or they can be couriered where ever people wish for a small shipping fee. If anyone wishes to order cakes, they can contact me at pieladyproductions@hotmail.com. Cakes are $15.00 CDN. each and up. Any contribution over $25.00 will get you a tax receipt.

What's your favourite cuisine style?

I am a traditionalist, I'm very fond of Mediterranean but I also like Mexican and Japanese, most food I guess. I can't think of anything I dislike.

What's your most irritating food peeve?

I hate when the waiter asks if everything is alright, and is miffed if you say anything less than glowing. Why do they ask? I was at Jamie Oliver's resto in London and our waiter asked how we enjoyed everything, and while everything was pretty wonderful, I thought one item was too large and said so. The waiter seemed genuinely interested and said he would pass along our comments to the chef. That's what should happen. It shouldn't just be a convention.

When you dine out in the city- where do you go and why?

Café Brussels, 124 Danforth Ave. 416-465-7363 - good wine/beer list, great selection of mussels, wonderful old building.

Mariachi's, 2084 Yonge St. 416-481-7111, for very good family style Mexican, great Margarita's.

Barclay's Steakhouse, 1921 Lawrence E., 416-751-9271, a genuine old style Steakhouse where you still get dill pickles, olives, cottage cheese and garlic bread, and you can't beat the grill.....

Hello Toast, 993 Queen St. E. 416-778-7299, funky, good brunch spot.

What's your favourite out-the-way, "gem" spot to shop for food?

Something I love to do in Toronto is shop where they don't speak English. There are many shops in so many cultural colours here and it's such fun to experience these places. Everyone gets involved. If you ask how to cook something several customers will join the staff in bringing you up to speed. In this instance, I am the foreigner, and the locals really reach out to embrace. It's really neat. I always come away having learned something and smiling. It's a good thing.

Best place in the city for quality baked goods?

Depends what you're looking for, again there are so many choices in Toronto. The Cake Master has splendid European cakes. You can find those lovely Portuguese custard tarts at St. Lawrence market that transport you back to Portugal, wonderful middle eastern treats along Eglinton East, and fantastic east Asian goodies on Gerrard. There are terrific little spots all over the city in every spectrum of cultural flavour. It's the best part about not being a "melting pot".

Butter cream icing, royal icing or no icing- what's your verdict?

It depends very much on what you are frosting. Some cakes don't require any embellishment, and others just bask in the adornment of excess. Of course, royal icing is not really meant for eating, although it is edible, it's more for design and decoration. 7-minute frosting is a big favourite with kids for its cloud-like quality, and just about everyone likes butter cream. What's not to like? My personal favourite? Flavoured whipped cream.

Do you have any tips on getting non-bakers to give the old mixing bowl, flour, sugar and butter a bash?

Cake baking is relatively easy. It's almost impossible to ruin a cake unless you under bake it. The smell while baking is so great, and the taste can't be beat. Whether it's simple or complicated you will get compliments.

If you had to describe yourself as a cake, which one would it be and why?

I'd say I'd be a nut cake (or case). It's really interesting to see how people react to things when they are not what they have predetermined. Hazelnut cake is so difficult to predict, so unusual, unlike anything else, really, and it contains no flour! That's probably me, completely nuts and contains no flour!