KAREN TACK and ALAN RICHARDSON are the best-selling authors of Hello, Cupcake!, What's New, Cupcake?, Cupcakes, Cookies & Pie, Oh My!, and Cake My Day! Using ordinary candy and snacks, a few everyday kitchen tools, a little good old fashioned ingenuity, and a dollop of fun, the two have turned the cake decorating world on its head. They have been working together for two decades to create sophisticated yet comical treats for the covers of America's favorite magazines. Their appearances on The Martha Stewart Show, The Rachael Ray Show, CBS's The Early Show, and many appearances on the TODAY Show have made them America's cupcake celebrities. The two have toured cooking schools, festivals, expos, and state fairs across the country and love demonstrating how to be a candy detective and find the right candy for the right design. Called "the cake whisperer" by Gourmet, Karen trained at the Culinary Institute of America and worked in restaurant kitchens before following her passion for baking and pursuing a career in food styling. Alan, dubbed the "McGyver of Candy," studied at The Art Student's League and worked as an art director and photographer before his career in cookbooks. In 2005 Alan received both The Best International Cookbook Award and The Jane Grigson Award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals for his work on The Breath of a Wok.