Celebrity baker butters up fair crowd

There’s nothing wrong with having your cake and eating it, too, baker Warren Brown told a large audience Thursday as he kicked off the Culinary Arts Series at the Orange County Fair.

“There’s nothing wrong with having cake,” said Brown, host of Food Network’s “Sugar Rush.” “As long as it’s in moderation?. Don’t try to ignore a craving inside of you, whether it’s food or your passion.”

And Brown’s passion is baking.

Every Thursday, for the duration of the fair, a new chef will be featured at 5 p.m. at the Plaza Arts Stage.

Despite the heat, Brown captivated an audience of about 100 as he demonstrated how to make Italian meringue butter cream and chocolate butter cake.

“People break diets, and I’m here to help you break them,” Brown said, laughing.

But the group of people attending the fair to watch him bake were able to stick to their diets, since they didn’t get to sample any of the sweets Brown made. During his one-hour presentation, he only demonstrated how to make the desserts; he didn’t bake them.

Donna Torel of Irvine said she met Brown at his bakery, CakeLove, in Washington, D.C., in May. She said she sampled many of his cakes during her visit.

“I am a baker, and his butter cream is the best I’ve ever tasted,” said Torel, who was wearing a “CakeLove” T-shirt. “He is so lovely and talented.”

Brown, a Washington, D.C., resident, has many talents.

Having earned a law degree from George Washington University, Brown abandoned his career as a lawyer in 2000 to become a baker. Two years later, he opened his own bakery, and in 2003 he opened Love Café, also in Washington, D.C.

Before becoming a lawyer in 1998, Brown worked as a health educator in Rhode Island and Los Angeles focusing on reproductive health and tobacco use.

From 1998 to 2000, he practiced health care law in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In 1999, he decided to get over his fear of baking and made a New Year’s resolution to learn the art of baking. He had learned to cook as a child, but had not attempted baking.

He has now mastered the art of baking and plans to open a bakery in Los Angeles.

On July 20, chef Rocco DiSpirito will take the stage. DiSpirito, who was on the reality show “The Restaurant.” dpt.14-fair-CPhotoInfoJ11SUC1B20060714j2dnf0ncCredit: JAMIE FLANAGAN / DAILY PILOT Caption: (LA)Warren Brown, host of Food Network’s cooking show “Sugar Rush,” opened the Culinary Arts Series Thursday. dpt.10-ocfair-logo-CPhotoInfoJ11SU74H20060714j207elncCredit: Caption: (LA)