tHE master baker’s point-of-view videos
found on social media showing his artistry of
decorating cakes and other mouthwatering
delectables have gained him a large following, more
than 375,000 followers worldwide. His real-time
videos show the inclusion and placement of intri-cate
rosettes, flowers, animals and landscapes.
“Surprisingly enough, I have a lot of older
followers who are over 30,” says Westermark. “It’s
not uncommon for people to come in and ask me
to reproduce something they saw on one of my
videos.”
A particularly click-worthy, fun distraction is the
cake he created to celebrate the 70th anniversary of
the Harbor Island Garden Club, which displays the
incredible depth and range of his talent.
The decision to integrate music into each video
was his secret ingredient.
“The first few videos were pretty bad. With no
music, you can hear noises in the background and
the crunching of the icing bags,” says Westermark.
Now, he picks a song to go with the unique
feeling, vibe or theme for each
cake. After watching the
video for the Garden
Club anniversary
cake, which has the
Cowsills’ 1967 hit
“The Rain, the Park
& Other Things”
as a backdrop, it’s
hard to imagine a better
pairing.
Other examples of the
music used to showcase his
creations include “Amie”
by Pure Prairie League,
“Does Your Mother
Know” by ABBA,
and “Hypnotized” by
Fleetwood Mac, a song
he included in response
to a customer’s question
of whether he could write
happy birthday on a cupcake.
“I literally write happy
birthday hundreds of times a
day,” says Westermark, who
records his videos while holding
his phone in his left hand.
62
WBM
july 2022
HANS WESTERMARK HANS WESTERMARK HANS WESTERMARK
PORTRAIT BY ALLISON POTTER/PHOTO OF CAKE BY HANS WESTERMARK