This & That: Cake Life Bake Shop Closed for Now, Engagement & Marriages. PhillyWood News

August 27, 2020 by HughE Dillon Leave a comment

Its Thursday and time for another column of This & That Philly. **SUBSCRIBE** to PhillyChitChat blog at the top left and get Philly News you want to chitchat with your friends.

UPDATE Cake Life Bake Shop is closed for now but reopening soon.

It looks like **Cake Life Bake/Shop** the popular Fishtown bakery where Jay-Z would buy **Beyonce**‘s birthday cake and present it to her on the last night of the Made In America festival, has closed. The bakery has cited they couldn’t survive Covid. After a source tipped me off, I sent them a note and this is what I received:
***Unfortunately, due to the hardships of the COVID-19 outbreak, Cake Life is closing its doors.*** Thank you for your email! That means that this email address is no longer active (no one will see your email or reply to it). Their phone number is disconnected as well. If you have an urgent business to address with Cake Life’s owners, please email hello@cakelifebakeshop.com. I contacted them there and they had a standardized message saying they’d review their email and answers would be delayed. We’ll miss them. I know they’ll do something delicious in the future. Cake Life Bake Shop did get back to me after my post published, and an outcry of sad cake fans responded.

It looks like **Phillywood** is bouncing back as Heery-Loftus Casting has sent out a casting call for background actors, as well as basketball players and SAG-AFTRA talent fluent in Serbian actors for a new Netflix film titled “Hustle”, starring Adam Sandler. Head on over to the Heery-Loftus Facebook page for more info on what they’re looking for as well as where to apply.

In other Phillywood news, Kate Winslet, who was in the middle of filming the HBO TV Series “Mare of Easttown” in the Philly area this past winter, has revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that starring in Contagion gave her a jump on preparing for Covid-19, leading to her wearing face masks months before the rest of the US. She states in the interview she plans to return to Pennsylvania to finish the final 21 days of filming in September. The cast also includes Julianne Nicholson, Jean Smart, Angourie Rice, Evan Peters, Cailee Spaeny and David Denman. (source)

The Greater Philadelphia Film Office, Philly’s primary liaison with Hollywood, has had their budget slashed by Covid19’s Pandemic.
Let’s Save Philly Film
To donate go to: Greater Philadelphia Film Office
https://film.org/savephillyfilm

Legendary **DJ Patty Jackson** tweeted **Warmdaddy’s** on Delaware Avenue put on her social media **Warmdaddys Soul Food and Live Music** has closed. They’re looking for another place to open. My guess is the parcel is being optioned for development as the shopping center which houses the Covid currently closed United Artists theaters, has a lot of empty storefronts as well. Head on over to their **FB for their official statement and how you can still order their delicious food.** BTW have you watched Auntie Patty’s Hollywood Gossip. She delivers the goods, better than TMZ I think. Give it a listen.

This past weekend Flyers TV and In-Arena Host Andrea Helfrich (when I met her a decade ago, she was Miss Philadelphia) had plenty to celebrate as the Flyers won their first Stanley Cup Playoff series since 2012 and her boyfriend, Antonio Presta, proposed at the Four Seasons in Center City. The couple shared their special moment on Saturday overlooking the city of Philadelphia and was accompanied by their beloved mini Australian Shepard, Benji.

Helfrich, a Richboro native and graduate of Council Rock South High School and West Chester University said, “He got me good! A proposal perfectly sandwiched in between playoff rounds, I don’t know how he did it but it was an absolute surprise!” Presta, who is Managing Partner of Craft Manayunk, is an Abington native. Helfrich said “I’m so grateful to my fiancé, family and friends who made this a day I will never forget. (Thanks to the Flyers for providing this information. The photos were taken by Philip Gabriel Photography)

Congrats **Keith Leaphart,** Founder of Philanthropi and **Ebonne Ruffins**, Vice President of Local Media Development (LMD) at Comcast on their wedding Saturday. Looks like it was a beautiful affair, attended by his son **Jayden** at the Waterworks behind the Phila Art Museum. The reception was held at longtime friend Chase Lenfest’s home on his patio at Liberty Place 50 stories above our Philadelphia. The couple who met through a mutual friend 3 years ago, were scheduled to be married in Jamaica in June, but the global pandemic had other plans. Way to pivot, love will find a way.

Congrats to **Frances Vavloukis** and **Ken Gross** on their backyard wedding on August 19, 2020. Ken’s the Chairman at Connect **America Medical Alert** (You know them from their popular commercials “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” and she’s a chef at Body X in Bryn Mawr.

Tomorrow I’ll be writing about Midtown Village, and how the business’ have come together to create a wonderful community. A new business is just about to open, and sadly a couple have closed. In the meantime, have a great day, be kind to one another and I’ll see you on Social Media. xo HughE