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For South Florida-based event planner Shauna Bernard, it is all about making food and desserts that not only look good but taste good too. The owner of CanVis Events specializes in event planning, custom favors, themed invitations, dessert tables and her irresistible gourmet cake pops.
Born in Jamaica and raised in Florida, food has always been a part of Bernard’s life for as long as she could remember. “Since I was little, my mom was always a cook in the kitchen preparing not just food, but pretty food for her family and I followed that. My food memories go as far back as being able to reach over the counter. My mom would be making Jamaican Black Cake at Christmas time and although I didn’t eat the cake, I would be standing on a stool to help her with the mixer and see how she does everything.”
The sous chef began making breakfast for the family by the age of eight and by the time she was in middle school, she was comfortable doing the shopping and cooking for the family several days a week.
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A Party with a Purpose
The dream was to become a chef but experience shifted her perception. Instead, she found a way to marry her love of cooking with being creative through event planning for others and CanVis Events was born. With the assurance that Bernard Can bring your Vision to life (the meaning behind the business name), clients love working with her due to her creativity and desire to make each event special and unique. No two events will be the same and that is intentional.
“I always love to do something different. I am not the planner who is going to Party City and looking for items there. It is usually coming out of my head and it is handmade. I never want someone to say, ‘Oh, I have that.’ I like for things to be original,” says Bernard.
Bernard’s dessert tables have clients and their guests eating with the eyes as they prepare to sink their teeth into her gourmet cake pops that are made from scratch. In addition to the standard vanilla and chocolate, clients go cuckoo for her Cuckoo for Cookies & Cream pops as well as her Vanilla Rum in the Tum.
One of her clients loves to take the flavors to the next level by requesting her Crazy for Coconut marbled with Rum in the Tum inside. “The cake pops came about because I was doing dessert for a client and I made them because I didn’t know anyone else who made them and it just took off from there. I bake my cake from scratch and also for me it is extremely important that they don’t just look pretty, they really do need to taste good.”
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A Little on the Savory Side
When she is not baking something sweet, Bernard likes to keep her savory side fresh by offering catering to small parties. One of the hottest items on the menu is her smoked salmon which she says turns heads and is addictive.
When she is not planning for clients, Bernard is teaching hands-on cake pop classes at local cake supply stores as well as privately for about 5 students. Her private classes include food and cocktails to showcase the business event planning side. Soon she plans to take her classes on the road toward the end of the year.
With demand for her delicious creativity, Bernard notes that her schedule fills up pretty quickly and with the holidays around the corner, it may be wise to reach out to her now for any upcoming events or cake pop needs.
Before ordering, Bernard likes to talk to her clients to learn about their event needs and flavor preferences as well as what they are looking for overall. From there the planning begins and in the end, they will have something that is so unique and delicious that they will keep coming back from more. For Bernard, this means her culinary mission was accomplished.
To plan your next event, dessert table or to order your gourmet cake pops, contact Bernard at info@canvisevents.com. You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for news about upcoming classes and more.