Yahoo News New York Bakery Makes John Oliver Cake Bear After ‘Last Week Tonight’ Plea
John Oliver’s request has been granted.
On Sunday’s Last Week Tonight, the HBO show’s host asked a bakery in Kingston, New York, to put his face on a bear-shaped cake in exchange for some new cooking equipment. The establishment in question, Deising’s Bakery & Restaurant, has risen to the occasion, putting an edible photo of Oliver on a cake with the body of a bear.
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“At 3 this morning, we were brainstorming and trying to figure out exactly what we were going to do,” Peter Deising told Westchester’s News 12 on Monday after Oliver made his request. According to the news outlet, the first batch of about 80 cake bears sold out in less than an hour.
See the photos below.
On Thursday, Diesing’s posted on Instagram that the new equipment had arrived. The caption accompanying the post read: “Our new kitchen equipment has arrived!! THANK YOU @lastweektonight JOHN OLIVER! Wait until you see the special treat we are making for him!”
The backstory: Last Week Tonight had purchased some cooking equipment from a closed-down Red Lobster that Diesing’s owners had wanted. “I need a 36-inch flat grill/oven and a commercial kitchen convection oven if you have them,” Eric Deising wrote in a note taped to the front door of the restaurant, according to News 12.
Oliver included the equipment in a bit on his June 2 show, where he re-created the restaurant and served only the Cheddar Bay biscuits that Red Lobster is known for. “I was looking for a piece of equipment,” Deising told News 12 after that episode aired. “If you don’t need that — because I don’t think you need it for biscuits — let me know,” he added, addressing Oliver.
Oliver then offered to provide brand new equipment to the Kingston bakery if they would make a “John Oliver Cake Bear,” which they debuted earlier this week. According to News 12, the cakes are priced at $8 each, with all proceeds earmarked for Peoples’ Place Food Pantry in Kingston. Diesing’s Bakery also made a larger cake for Oliver that featured a large tush, as he had requested, though he didn’t really make any other specific requests in his plea.
“I trust your vision. As long as it fits the general description of ‘John Oliver Cake Bear,’ I’ll be more than happy,” he said on Sunday’s show.
Peter Deising is still wrapping his head around how much attention the bakery has been getting.
“It’s unbelievable,” he told News 12. “I can’t believe it went viral, and the amount of emails and messages on social media that we’re getting. People want them shipped to like the Philippines and Australia.”
Presumably, Oliver will address the development on his next show, but a rep for HBO said there was no additional information at this time.
9:11 a.m. Thursday, June 13: Added Deising’s update that the equipment had been delivered.
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