For many businesses in Louisiana, Mardi Gras is just like any other time of the year. But for those who sell king cakes, the weeks after the Twelfth Night define their business. According to kinesiology sophomore Lindsay Randazzo, whose family owns the popular Manny Randazzo King Cakes bakery in Metairie, La., king cakes have a long and rich history. David Sherman, manager at Ambrosia Bakery in Baton Rouge, said Mardi Gras season begins 12 days after Christmas, which is Jan. 6. This day is known as the Twelfth Night, or Epiphany to Christians. Epiphany is also the day when Christians believe Jesus appeared to the world. Sherman said the three colors on the cakes – purple, green and gold – “represent the gifts that the three wise men brought to the baby Jesus.” These are also the standard Mardi Gras colors.
Randazzo also said that as a symbol of this holiday, king cakes traditionally have a small plastic baby baked inside. The person who gets the baby in his slice of cake is customarily supposed to buy the next king cake. Randazzo said her family has been in the bakery business for years. Her father started his business in 1992. “My dad worked with his dad at a full-service bakery in Chalmette,” Randazzo said. “Then he opened his own bakery in Metairie called Randazzo’s Cakes and Pastries.” Randazzo said her parents decided to take a chance and work only two months out of the year, during Mardi Gras season, and only focus on selling king cakes. “They sold like hot cakes,” Randazzo said. “We open at 6 a.m., but people would line up around 2:30 or 3 a.m. and stand in line, waiting for us to open.” Randazzo said the business is a great environment to work in because of its loyal workers. “After Katrina hit, some employees moved from Alabama back to Metairie, rented a trailer and lived behind the store so they could work for two months,” Randazzo said. Her father is the primary baker, said Randazzo, and he inspects each and every cake to ensure its quality. Randazzo said people can special order seasonal king cakes year-round. Fay Covington, co-owner of Cake Palace in Baton Rouge, entered the bakery business 30 years ago. “[Mardi Gras] is the busiest season for us,” Covington said. Manager Dana Tucker said the bakers who make the king cakes work long hours to prepare the purple, green and gold treats for sale each morning. “The people who ice the cakes come in the evenings and work through the night,” Tucker said. Tucker said people love Cake Palace king cakes because of the quality of the food. “We make everything from scratch, including our fillings,” Tucker said. “Our best sellers are anything with cream cheese or our pecan praline.” Tucker said each baker has a specialized task in the process and brings several people’s skills together to make one cake. “One person drizzles each icing color on the cakes,” Tucker said. “That way the colors don’t mix with each other.” Jerome Alcorn, a former resident food service employee at the University, has been a baker with Cake Palace for almost a year. “Ninety percent of what we do during Mardi Gras is bake king cakes,” Alcorn said. “We always have to work a day ahead.” Cake Palace takes king cake orders year-round but only sells them in the store during Mardi Gras season.
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