Raven
Dennis '87
Owner Cake Man Raven Confectionary
Raven Dennis III discovered his calling at the age of 13 when a teacher
bought two coconut pies he made in his grandmother’s kitchen
for $5. Soon after, in high school, he would earn the nickname that
would stick with him for life: “Cake Man Raven.”
Years
later, as a college student, classes at Johnson & Wales University
weren’t enough to keep Raven from his passion for baking. Between
classes, he crafted cakes and pies and gorgeous confections from his
little apartment and sold them to loyal customers, who heard of him through
word of mouth. Raven’s talents weren’t limited to pastry
arts; however, he also became an expert ice artist. His carvings took
him to Grammy Awards and to famous restaurants all over the country.
Finally, in 2000, Raven realized his dream; He returned home from Rhode
Island and opened a bakery in Brooklyn, N.Y. There he baked both traditional
cakes and fantastic creations – replicas of the Empire State Building
and the Brooklyn Bridge. When CBS news showed up at his door one day
and featured a story about the Southern Red Velvet Cake that Raven baked,
it made him a star. In time he was all over the news and in magazines
as the baker to the rich and famous, the man who made the beautiful,
fun, fantastic confections for the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Maya Angelou,
Ella Fitzgerald, Katie Couric, and Robert DeNiro.
Raven still makes coconut pies like the first ones he sold as a youngster.
They now sell for $16 in his bakery. Every day, they serve as a sweet
reminder of his humble beginnings, and the grandmother who taught him
to put passion and love into his craft.
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