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Joshua John Russell started his career in Atlanta, GA in 2005. A graduate of Johnson and Wales University, he began food styling for magazines and consulting for local restaurants and catering companies. Joshua’s work has been featured in magazines (Jezebel, Atlanta Weddings, Flavors, 944, Life and Style, and Grace Ormonde), and national ad campaigns for Sweetex, Betty Crocker, Bob’s Red Mill, GIR and Focus Brands. As the production scene grew in Atlanta, Joshua began to work with prop masters on TV and movie productions (Life as We Know It, Table19, Dynasty and Father of the Bride). In 2015 Joshua was named one of the top ten cake designers in North America by Dessert Professional Magazine as well as Johnson and Wales University’s Distinguished Visiting Chef. Joshua had also been a judge on Top Chef Jr.(Bravo), Nailed It (Netflix), the Dr. Seuss Baking Challenge (Prime Video), Ultimate Cupcake Championship (Food Network) and Baker’s Dozen (HULU) and he has appeared on the TODAY show and host a YouTube show called "You've Been Desserted"
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Karen Portaleo is a cake artist, prop maker and food stylist based in Atlanta, GA. She creates props and sets, as well as cakes and edible props for advertising, television and movies. She also has her own line of Edible Oil Paints and Dilutors. Comfortable with a multitude of mediums, her work has drawn a client list that includes Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Target, Maybelline, Cartoon Network, Coca Cola, Delta Airlines, Turner Broadcasting, CNN, The Georgia Aquarium, Zoo Atlanta, The Atlanta Opera, The Los Angeles Opera, Georgia Public Broadcasting, Nestle Chocolate,The Center for Puppetry Arts, The W Hotel, and Westin Hotels. She has appeared on Food Network's Cake Challenge 4 times, Halloween Wars and Cake wars, winning all but one, Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, as well as designing set pieces for "Sugar Dome" . She has also appeared on her own show, called "Caketastrophe" on Food Network. Her cake and chocolate work can be seen in National Geographic's "Strange But True", Wild Art by Phaedon Press, as well as various publications and websites worldwide. Her cake client list includes Sir Elton John, Jane Fonda, Usher, Jane Lynch, T-Pain, Demi Moore, Andrew Young, AMC's The Walking Dead, Stranger Things, P Valley, The Avengers Movie, and Will Trent. Karen works and teaches internationally, and has taught in more than 24 countries.
