Mitch never met a cake he didn’t like. If there was any reason for a cake, he’d get it.
I first became aware of this when we were in Princeton, NJ, where he was conducting a workshop. As we strolled around the campus one evening, Mitch stopped in front of a bakery that had a wedding cake on display and said, “Wow! It’s enough to make you want to get married!” When I replied incredulously, “A cake?” the students sitting on a bench nearby burst out laughing. Funny guy!
For my birthday in 2014, we spent the night at the Lancaster Arts Hotel where each room is decorated with artwork by a different artist. So naturally we stayed in the Mitch Lyons' room! After dinner that night in the restaurant, the waiter came out and placed a cake in front of me. It said, “Will you marry me?” Of course, I said yes, but like I said, any reason for a cake.
Now our wedding in 2015, was definitely a time for cake. When it came time to cut it though, Mitch switched it up a bit. First, I cut him a piece and fed it to him. Then he took a slice and instead of giving it to me, he ate it. He was so pleased with himself, which in turn made us both laugh!
Later that year we celebrated Mitch's 6’ x 6’ slab’s 35th birthday. It was a really special event where people could come and pull a 5” x 7” print of their own from the slab. Everyone had a wonderful time! Of course, we had to have cake. I believe some people came just for that because they kept asking, “When are you going to cut the cake?” LOL
I'll close here with a little bit of trivia about cake I found on Britannica.com:
“Let them eat cake” is the most famous quote attributed to Marie-Antoinette, the queen of France during the French Revolution. As the story goes, it was the queen’s response upon being told that her starving peasant subjects had no bread. Because cake is more expensive than bread, the anecdote has been cited as an example of Marie-Antoinette’s obliviousness to the conditions and daily lives of ordinary people. But did she ever actually utter those words? Probably not.
For one thing, the original French phrase that Marie-Antoinette is supposed to have said—“Qu’ils mangent de la brioche”—doesn’t exactly translate as “Let them eat cake.” It translates as, well, “Let them eat brioche.” Of course, since brioche is a rich bread made with eggs and butter, almost as luxurious as cake, it doesn’t really change the point of the story. But the queen wouldn’t have been referring to the sort of dessert that English speakers often imagine.
More important, though, there is absolutely no historical evidence that Marie-Antoinette ever said “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche” or anything like it. So where did the quote come from, and how did it become associated with Marie-Antoinette? As it happens, folklore scholars have found similar tales in other parts of the world, although the details differ from one version to another. In a tale collected in 16th-century Germany, for instance, a noblewoman wonders why the hungry poor don’t simply eat Krosem (a sweet bread). Essentially, stories of rulers or aristocrats oblivious to their privileges are popular and widespread legends.
Sadly, there won't be any cake served at the opening reception for the Lyons' Share on September 5th, but we'd still love to see you. And sorry to disappoint those of you who only come out for a piece of cake!
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