ARLINGTON, Va. - To help the National Guard celebrate its 375th birthday Tuesday, a crew from Cake Boss drove four hours to present a professionally decorated cake to National Guard members and civilians at the Army National Guard Readiness Center here.
At about two feet by three feet in surface area, and with an 18-inch replica of the Minuteman statue on top, the cake required a lot of care in moving it from the Hoboken, N.J. bakery to here - four people to be exact. The New Jersey National Guard was on hand to assist from the beginning of the trip till the much anticipated arrival.
Mauro Castano, head cake decorator with Cake Boss - a television show about extravagantly decorated cakes - said his bakery staff was approached by a member of the New Jersey Army National Guard a few months earlier to inquire about the possibility of creating a special cake for the then upcoming celebration.
"It was our pleasure," Castano said, adding that even with three television shows going on at the same time, Cake Boss wanted to be a part of this important event.
To ensure he did it just right, he reviewed the provided paperwork for ideas and found exactly what he wanted to be the focus of the cake - the Minuteman.
"You know what," he said the day he saw the Minuteman, "we've got to put that in there. That's the symbol of the National Guard."
Along with the Minuteman, it was decided that all of the National Guard states, territories and the District of Columbia needed to be represented. And they were - along all four sides were sugary patches for each, which eventually became a popular topic of discussion among crowd members.
"Where's Nebraska at?" asked Command Sgt. Maj. Richard Burch, the command sergeant major of the Army National Guard and a Nebraska native.
Though the cake was made with both chocolate and vanilla ingredients, several were curious about the bronze-looking Minuteman.
"What's the Minuteman made out of?" a military member asked.
To the surprise of some audience members, it was learned that the entire cake was edible. And eaten it was - by more than 200 military and civilian employees of the National Guard Bureau and the Army National Guard Readiness Center.
The Minuteman was made from chocolate.
Outside the mix of cake batter and chocolate sculptures, Cake Boss has ties to the military as well which made this event even more special for them. One of Castano's brothers-in-law, Joey, served in the Air Force in Iraq during Desert Storm in 1991.
After all the armed forces do for Americans, Castano said dedicating this cake to the National Guard was an honor.