Biz Beat: Cake designer’s work ranges from classic to playful

After baking specialty cakes for 12 years in South Shore casinos and studying at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in California, Martha Aguirre decided to venture into her own cake business.

Her dream, Fine Art Cakes, opened Feb. 23. She said it’s great to finally have her own shop.

“I have a passion for it,” she said, referring to her cakes.

Aguirre said her favorite style of cakes are classic wedding cakes, but she can make anything clients want.

For her sister’s First Communion, she made a cake that looked like the church. Aguirre said it took her more than 12 hours to make. When her husband threw a birthday party, she made a billiard-table cake with cue sticks and everything. It all was edible, too, she said.

All her cakes are custom orders, so she works one-on-one with clients. She also offers free cake tastings by appointment.

The shop is at 2540 Lake Tahoe Blvd. in the Swiss Chalet Shopping Center. It’s open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, see the Web site Fineartcakes.com, or call (530) 542-2417.

Coffee art steams up Tahoe Jave

Tahoe Java’s new owner, Judi Sabo, is creating art through customer’s coffee orders.

By using steamed milk and espresso, Sabo said she can make designs in coffee drinks. She learned the technique at a barista school in Portland, Ore.

Sabo bought the 7-year-old coffee shop in December. Since then, she has started offering more vegetarian and even vegan food options for her customers.

The shop serves breakfast and lunch. Some of the dishes include breakfast burritos, bagels, waffles, soups, salads, sandwiches and paninis.

Free wireless Internet also is available at Tahoe Java.

The coffee shop is open from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. The store is at 2450 Lake Tahoe Blvd. in the Swiss Chalet Shopping Center. For more information, call (530) 542-1474.

Sports bar now part of Horizon

The Horizon Sports Bar opened Saturday, said Tom Davis, director of marketing for Horizon Casino Resort.

“Locals need it,” Davis said. “Locals want it.”

The sports bar will have a happy hour from 4 to 8 p.m. all week long. During that time, customers can munch on $1.50 tacos and wash ’em down with $2 Coronas.

The bar is located inside Horizon. For more information, call (775) 588-6211.

— Have information on your business that you’d like to share? Contact reporter Sara Thompson at (530) 542-8009 or sthompson@tahoedailytribune.com.