I’m Emerlie - The founder and creative force behind Neo Sugar Rush and Neo Sugar Academy, a novel online platform dedicated to Confectionary Arts education.
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With over 14 years of extensive industry experience, my objective has always been to master every skill in the field. Now, my passion is to empower fellow sugar enthusiasts to achieve the same level of expertise. I have spent over 7 years teaching in-person Master Classes and various other workshops, refining my teaching techniques and curriculum to better serve an online community.
My diverse background includes working in various bakeries, obtaining a Confectionary Arts Diploma from Bonnie Gordon College of Confectionary Arts, participating in advanced workshops, managing my own cake business, instructing both beginner and advanced students in multi-day workshops at my cake studio, and competing professionally on TV and in local contests.
During my 6 years running a cake business on my own, I focused mainly on wedding cakes and sugar flowers. While this was my main source of income for some time, I quit my custom cake business in 2021 due to a health decline that left me unable to continue the high stress and energy required to upkeep my business. This is when I turned to my other passions, and actively pursued becoming a full time Content Creator and Instructor.
I now focus on crafting hyper-realistic edible sugar props for social media as a creative outlet, delivering educational content, sharing my recipes, and excelling in professional competitions. Remarkably, I accomplish all of this while managing 60+ food allergies, relying on the science of baking to create award-winning and visually stunning cakes and pastries.
I've also garnered noteworthy accomplishments in the industry throughout my career.
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You may recognize me as a reality TV personality as seen on Food Network’s Santa’s Baking Blizzard (2019), Holiday Wars (2020), The Big Bake (2021), Halloween Wars (2023), and Halloween Wars All-Stars (2024). Throughout these shows I have been a specialist as a Cake Artist, Sugar Artist (isomalt), and Pastry Chef - always filling multiple roles each time.
From 2017 to 2024, I have served as a board member for Sugar Artists of Utah, where I not only contributed as a member but also clinched numerous awards, including Best Use of Isomalt and 1st place in several categories.
In 2017, I competed at the Rootstech Cake Decorating Competition which was judged by world-renowned Buddy Valastro of Cake Boss.
As an author, I take pride in "The Science of Baking Cakes," a comprehensive 124-page educational ebook. This publication delves into the intricate science behind baking, featuring 25 award-winning cake recipes; with plans to author more content to come!
Download Your eBook Today!As a professional Sugar Artist specialist in my career and long-time student of Sidney Galpern, I have teamed up with SimiCakes as a Brand Ambassador. My role involves conducting livestream demonstrations and promoting SimiCakes isomalt products.
Further, at the Retail Bakers of America LIVE Cake Competition that took place on the competition stage for two days during IBIE 2022, I earned two 2nd place awards in Fondant and Buttercream categories.
Early 2023, my involvement in That Takes the Cake Texas included serving as an instructor and winning two 3rd place awards in the Sugar Showpiece and Holiday Candy categories.
At the Jersey Shore Cake and Cookie Con in 2023, I not only hosted the Reality of Reality TV Panel but also served as an instructor, and contributed to booth demonstrations for Satin Ice and Icing Images.
Similarly, at the SoFlo Cake and Candy Expo in 2023, I took to the Social Media stage by hosting the Nailed It LIVE Cake Competition and spoke on the Content Creators Panel. I also taught several classes as an instructor, along with contributing to booth demos at the Icing Images booth, and was a finalist for Rising Star USA at the American Cake Awards.
I returned to SoFlo Cake and Candy Expo in 2024 to run the Social Media & TV Stage, where I coordinated 25 stars of the industry. Throughout the weekend I hosted panels, demos, and three live cake competitions.
Audience members were pulled on stage to battle it out in a Nailed It style cupcake challenge.
Three TV stars competed in a live Sugar Rush Wars - with the winner moving on to the Beat Liz Marek competition.
In the same weekend as SoFlo Cake and Candy Expo, I put together a team of 10 Sugar Artists - all of whom I have competed with and against on reality TV - and created an 8'x8' edible photobooth display. The theme was inspired by the expo being in Florida, and the cake competition happening at the show was The Ocean. This edible build took two days to bring together, complete with dynamic elements such as lights, moving characters, and an edible bubble machine.
In 2023, I had the privilege of being an online contributor to the exclusive Sugar Screams Collaboration, particularly the Sugar Scream Does Stranger Things collab at Cake International.
I have been published several times in American Cake Decorating Magazine. This includes photo collaborations, being a cover star, and Meet the Maker interview on my time as a professional competitor.
Meet Kylie - our 3D Cake Specialist whose skills defy gravity!
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Kylie Holt is an acclaimed Sugar Artist and International Food Network Champion. Her expertise lies in crafting intricate 3D and gravity-defying cakes.
Kylie fell in love with edible art over 10 years ago when she created her very first fondant cake, and she’s been addicted to sugar art ever since. She quickly discovered her passion was in creating show-stopping cakes that defy gravity. Creating stable structures for intricate cakes is definitely her forte. She is well-versed in various mediums, including isomalt, wafer paper, modeling chocolate, fondant, buttercream, edible fabric, chocolate, and more. She enjoys adding special effects to her whimsical creations such as movement and sound.
By earning her degree in pastry arts from Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, Kylie also learned the science behind baking and was able to hone her baking and decorating skills.
You may recognize Kylie as a contestant on not one, but FOUR different TV cake competitions! Food Network’s Cake Wars (2017), Santa’s Baking Blizzard (2019), and The Big Bake (2022), as well as Disney Plus’ Foodtastic (2021). These rigorous shows put Kylie’s structure-making skills to the test, and her determination paid off - she and her teams won the last two shows by creating a mind-boggling larger than life underwater Toy Story foodscape, and a giant defying-gravity Santa Clause teetering on a string of lights!
Kylie has enjoyed competing locally as well in the Sugar Artists of Utah competition. All three years of entering she has won 1st place in her division, and in only her 2nd year competing, she took home Best of Show with her gravity-defying Humpty Dumpty cake.
Kylie’s work has been featured in Cake Masters Magazine, as well as a featured tutorial for a gravity-defying fairy treehouse cake for the Icing Smiles newsletter.
A new discovery is Kylie’s passion for sharing her wealth of cake knowledge with others. She holds monthly in-person classes that teach everything cake, from basic to advanced! She is ecstatic to be teaching alongside a fabulous cake friend and mentor, Emerlie Miller.
Kylie has worked alongside Emerlie throughout the years in different capacities. In 2018 she completed an externship in Emerlie's studio to graduate with her pastry degree. Later they teamed up again to compete together on Food Network's Santa's Baking Blizzard, and to do several photo collaborations with hyper-realistic edible props. She has now teamed up with Emerlie to launch the 3D Cake Master Class.
Follow Kylie on Instagram!
Learn from the best!
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We offer courses for every caker and baker - so whether you are looking to advance your cake decorating skills or learn tips and tricks for baking the perfect cake - then Neo Sugar Academy is for you!
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