Rita Llanso - Cake Decorator, Touche Touchet; Instructor, Sugar Arts Institute

Rita Llanso is originally from Williamsburg, VA where she acquired many unusual skills including blacksmithing, spinning wool into yarn, sand casting bronze, cooking over an open hearth, candle making and sheering sheep. She has explored artistry in many different mediums, including painting, drawing and pet portraits. She spent two years as an engraver, three years doing ceramics and a couple of years making jewelry before she became a cake decorator in a grocery store. She has worked for a small and privately owned bakery named, Touche Touchet, for five and a half years. They specialize in fancy and unusual custom cakes. Her boss, Michael Touchet, gave her a lot of creative freedom and encouraged her to compete in various cake decorating competitions. In the past four years, she entered seven competitions which include The Pillsbury and RBA Nationals, The Great American Cake Show in Westminster, MD and the Capitol Area Show in Annendale, VA Her awards include four grand prize cakes, three best of division cookie awards, two best of division cake awards and a Pillsbury National Grand Champion award. She is currently still working part time at the bakery training new cake decorators and sugar artists.