Designer
Like so many in the culinary world, all of Penny Stankiewicz’s favorite memories always seemed to be surrounded by food. But there was a detour. After graduating from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Penny forged a fulfilling career as a documentary film producer. Over those years, the little voice in her head kept her thinking about cooking and baking and finally, when she couldn’t ignore it any longer, Penny followed her heart and enrolled in the pastry program at the Institute of Culinary Education. She went on to work for Pichet Ong at Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Spice Market before launching her own creative venture. Sugar Couture was born with a mission to create delicious memories, and merged her visual aesthetic with her love of all things sweet.
Penny still applies what she loved most about making documentaries to her sugar artistry and cake decorating – a deep exploration of a subject, becoming a mini-expert, and then moving on to the next fascinating topic. The challenge to “make a cake in the shape of…” comes in daily, and it’s that challenge of creating the impossible that motivates her with every project.
Penny’s work has been featured on Life in the Fab Lane with Kimora Lee Simmons, My Fair Wedding with David Tutera, The Real Houswives of NYC, and First Look LXTV. In print, Penny’s work has been featured in Brides, New York Magazine, The Knot, Daily Candy, Time Out New York, and The Daily News.
Not one to keep her craft to herself, Penny also led popular cake decorating classes at the 92nd St Y, helped build the recreational culinary and baking programs at Sarah Lawrence College, and has led cake classes at the International Culinary Institute. Penny also offers private classes, which is a great opportunity to connect with clients and share her love of all things sweet.
Penny lives in Brooklyn with her husband Jay and their super-dog Sasha. When she is not busy whipping up sugar magic at her Brooklyn studio, she enjoys cooking, photography, gardening, films and all things creative.
