Cake Man Raven

Born in Harlem, New York City, to Raven Dennis Jr. and Ruth Murrelle Dennis, he was inspired to start baking by his grandmother, Evelyn Nowlin Murrelle, with whom he lived in South Carolina in his youth. Dennis baked his first cake when he was nine, He attended the Mount Pleasant High School, from which he graduated in 1985. Before he graduated, he participated in cake shows and competitions throughout South Carolina. He participated in Marketing & Distributive Education Clubs of Americas competitions in the area of entrepreneurship, and his business plan won the top state award in 1984 and 1985. He went to the national convention in Kansas City in 1984, received honors in the San Francisco during the 1985 finals and earned a scholarship. He received the nickname "Cake Man Raven" from an article in The Lee County Messenger. Cake Man Raven attended Johnson & Wales University and Brown University, both in Providence, Rhode Island. ==Early career==

He then returned to Harlem and started baking cakes, mostly for children's birthday parties. He started a cake business called "All Occasion Cakes" and planned to go to graduate school at Cornell University, but his plans changed with his grandmother died in December 1989. He returned to Johnson & Wales University to pursue a master's degree in education. He spent some time working at a stockbrokerage firm, but found he did not enjoy the work. He has also carved ice sculptures, which has been featured in the World Trade Center's Windows of the World and during the 1986 and 1988 Grammy Award ceremonies. ==Career==

He baked full-time in Harlem and then opened the Cake Man Raven Confectionery in 2000, at 708 Fulton Street in Brooklyn, where he sold his signature red velvet cake, among other cakes. He has baked several other large cake representations, such as of the Columbia University Library and a giant wedding cake for the television reality series Bridezillas. ==References==