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Days of decorating and baking came to fruition last week as students from the Culinary Institute of Montana at Flathead Valley Community College showcased their wedding cake creations.

Two of the 16 bakers were Columbia Falls alumni — Atarah Jordan of Columbia Falls and Casey Pyskaty of Hungry Horse.

Neither of the two young women say they want to go onto to be bakers after spending three 12-hour days working on their cakes.

“I’m just not much of a baker,” Jordan conceded. One couldn’t tell from her cake, however, which featured multiple layers and a lily theme.

Jordan said she hopes to become a chef someday and own her own restaurant, but she prefers savory cooking over sweet — particularly seafood, like Ahi tuna.

Ditto for Pyskaty. Her cake baking experience bordered on the nightmarish. In her first attempt, she didn’t make enough batter, so she had to start from scratch, arriving at the kitchen at 6:30 a.m.

Her “homework” was making edible pine cones from fondant — an edible, moldable icing.

The fake pine cones looked amazingly real when she was done. Her cake theme was Glacier National Park.

Pyskaty said when she’s done with the 18-month program, she likely won’t cook at all — she’s more interested in the hospitality end of the restaurant business.

“I favor the waitressing part of it,” she said.

All told the event featured 16 different bakers and their cakes. Each cake had a theme, based on the request of a “wedding couple.”

After they showed off their cakes, the knives were brought out and it time to sample all those cakes.

Pyskaty’s chocolate and raspberry and Jordan’s white cake with huckleberry did not disappoint.