Summerlin couple relocates gallery-worthy custom cakes business from Hawaii

There's art you can view, and then there's art you can taste. Cakelava provides both with creations that are so lavish, you'll swear it's art.

The bakery, 4555 S. Fort Apache Road, Suite 122, has no cakes in display cases and no books of cute birthday cakes for kids. No, cakelava is where the confection is all about making signature, one-of-a-kind pieces.

Rick and Sasha Reichart started the cake shop in 2005 on Oahu in Hawaii. Rick said making a cake into something special, design-wise, requires skill and planning.

Otherwise, he said, "if you don't like it, you're going to have to live with it or start over again. It's food; it's harder to do than fine art. ... It's easier to sculpt with clay than with cake. Cake is not forgiving. If you make a mistake, you're stuck with it."

Clients make an appointment to come in and discuss their event. Each cake made takes into consideration the theme and the client's suggestions.

"You're not looking at a book, going, 'I like that one,' " Sasha said.

The couple's handiwork can be seen at A Dreamy Bridal Soiree, planned from 1 to 4 p.m. Feb. 27 and sponsored by Glitter & Grace in the Market LV at Tivoli Village, 420 S. Rampart Blvd. The soiree is free and open to the public. Visit glitterandgraceweddings.com.

Glitter & Grace owners Megan Thompson and Stacey Shively said they wanted to include cakelava in their event because of the level of expertise its cakes show. They learned of the cake business through Paper and Home, an invitation company also in Tivoli Village's Market LV space.

"Their cakes are, like, masterpieces," said Thompson. "They're amazing. I want to ask them 'How can you let people eat this after you've put so much work into it?' "

The path to creating great cakes had humble beginnings. Rick was a cook in the Army from 1986-88, when he was based at Fort Knox in Kentucky. He was discharged after two years as a private.

"I didn't exactly find my love of baking there. I wasn't very good at cooking," he admitted.

But that was because his artistic side needed a way to be expressed. He enrolled in a culinary school — the now-defunct Baltimore International Culinary College — switching from savory (basic cooking) courses.

"I was a vegetarian, so it was not appealing, deboning chickens all the time," he said. "I wasn't into it."

He switched to a pastry/baking program where he excelled.

Rick and Sasha later met in Seattle when they both worked at a Japanese restaurant. She was the sous chef, and he was a waiter. They became a couple, moved to Santa Monica, Calif., and married in 2004.

In 2010, they relocated to Hawaii and opened a cake shop there. It was a good time for such a venture with "Ace of Cakes," "Cake Boss" and the Food Network baking shows all the rage. The business flourished, so much so that Rick was invited by the Food Network to be a competitor on its "Challenge" TV show. The episode centered on SpongeBob SquarePants-themed birthday cakes.

It was a shot at having their shop recognized on national television. They had to close the business for a week to fly to Denver, where the show was shot, in the dead of winter. Everything they needed was shipped there, including the cake, which had to be prebaked as the studio had no ovens.

"FedEx lost our cake," Rick said. "It got stuck in the Rockies because there was a snow storm."

After frantic calls and pleading in earnest, the cake was located in a warehouse and delivered to their hotel room mere hours before Rick was due at the studio.

He didn't win first prize, but being on TV and making the cake based on the beloved cartoon character brought him national attention. It led to writing a book, "Extreme Cakeovers: Make Showstopping Desserts from Store-Bought Ingredients," released in July 2013. The Reicharts then closed their Hawaiian shop to travel the world giving cake lessons, going to England, Thailand, Australia and Canada.

As good as they are on the inside, it's the outside of their cakes that command immediate attention.

Rick has a background in art, having studied it at California Polytechnic State University. He also worked on special effects for productions in Los Angeles. He used to paint when his life wasn't so involved. He brings that art knowledge to his cake-making, kicking up the artistic value so that his creations stand out.

The couple settled in Las Vegas, choosing it over California for its affordability and the built-in business.

"Vegas is a really good market for what we do," Sasha said. "You've got the entertainment, the parties, the weddings ... No one is doing this type of cake."

Kelly Ford can attest to that. She used cakelava for her 30th birthday bash. It had a "Maleficent" theme and featured a cake with a castle base and the dragon from the Disney cartoon version of the movie. The black, green and purple cake was a 16-inch round one about 8 inches tall. It was crowned with a dragon that stood nearly 2 feet tall.

"They exceeded my expectations and completely delivered on my vision," Ford said. "I had always wanted a dragon cake as a child and never received it, and so I decided, 'Hey I'm 30. I'm going to get my dragon cake.' … The detail of the dragon was amazing. It looked exactly like the dragon in the movie. Everyone was amazed by the cake, and I even had strangers come up and ask to take photos."

Other clients opt for a more formal theme. The shop's most-involved cake was for a wedding. It was six tiers tall, with each separated by a plethora of flowers with a faux quilting effect complemented with dragees.

"It took 40 hours just to do the flowers," Rick said.

Visit cakelava.com or call 702-979-8010.

— To reach Summerlin Area View reporter Jan Hogan, email jhogan@viewnews.com or call 702-387-2949