Phoebe Hensley always said she wanted 10 children. On Wednesday afternoon, she got 20.
Hensley, owner of Phoebe’s Cafe and Cakes, was host to a busload of students from Village Elementary School’s Quest program who had signed up for a cake-decorating activity at Phoebe’s.
Five tables each held four round cakes piled with globs of white frosting that Hensley and her assistant, Kim Jordan, had set out in preparation for the youngsters’ arrival. Pastry tubes of frosting and bowls of decorative candies were scattered on each table, along with enough Wet Wipes to keep small hands — and hair — relatively clean.
The students watched Hensley as she deftly illustrated tips for frosting the cakes; it’s all in the wrist, she told them, moving the spatula in her hand in a Miss America wave.
The little wrists tried to emulate the movements as the children slathered frosting on the cakes, flipping only a few small chunks onto their laps and into their hair. They were so intent on the task in front of them, that the noise level in the restaurant held to a low murmur.
Thirty minutes later, the youngsters had finished and filed out the door. Each carried a plate of brightly decorated cake that had been wrapped in plastic film as they loaded onto a bus — driven by a very uneasy bus driver.