Grace Pak
Grace "Grey" Pak | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Education | New York University (BFA)
Columbia University (MS) International Culinary Center (Grand Diplôme) |
| Occupation | Cake artist |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Website | duchessofcameron |
Grace "Grey" Pak is a fine art cake artist and entrepreneur based in New York City and Colorado.[1][2] She is best known as the founder and owner of cake company Duchess of Cameron and for appearing in two seasons of the Netflix competition show Is It Cake?.
In early 2026, Duchess of Cameron was announced as an official Programming Partner of America250[3] to be the designer and project lead for the official cake of the United States' 250th birthday celebration in Washington, DC, in collaboration with Members of the US Congress[4] and a team of Marine Corps chefs volunteering in their personal capacities and time.[5]
Education
Pak attended high school at Saddle River Day School in Saddle River, NJ.[6] She then earned her BFA in Studio Art from New York University, where she was a Merit Scholar and a University Honors Scholar.[1] Pak attended Columbia University[1] to earn an M.S. in Neuroscience. A paper she co-authored was published in the Brain Sciences medical journal based on her clinical research work at the Columbia University Medical Center.[7] She followed this with a Grand Diplôme with Distinction in Cake Techniques and Design from the International Culinary Center in New York City.[1]
Career
Pak founded cake company Duchess of Cameron in New York City in 2013.[1]
Official Birthday Cake for the America Semiquincentennial
In early 2026, Pak was selected by the America250 organization and related Congressional Commission to serve as a Programming Partner and the cake artist for the official birthday cake for the 250th birthday of the United States. The cake project spanned several months and involved bipartisan participation from Members of Congress from all 50 US states, 5 territories, and the District of Columbia to symbolically represent all Americans in the making of the "gift to the nation" cake. Pak also received support with the making of the cake from a team of five Marine chefs, who volunteered on the project in their personal capacities and worked with Pak on prior projects, including for the US Marine Corps' 250th birthday in November 2025.[8]
Members of Congress and the Washington, DC government personally contributed by hand to create or finish decorative elements that represented their respective constituencies. Pak visited most of these contributors in their Washington, DC offices on Capitol Hill.[9]
| State/Territory/District | Name | Party | Cake Element |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Rep. Robert Aderholt | Republican | V8 engine |
| Alaska | Sen. Lisa Murkowski | Republican | Iditarod dog sled |
| American Samoa | Rep. Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen | Republican | Fly whisk ("fue") and war club ("uatogi") |
| Arizona | Sen. Mark Kelly | Democratic | Grand Canyon |
| Arkansas | Rep. French Hill | Republican | Rice stalk |
| California | Rep. Norma Torres | Democratic | Film camera |
| Colorado | Rep. Diana DeGette | Democratic | Quantum particle |
| Connecticut | Sen. Chris Murphy | Democratic | Black Hawk helicopter |
| Delaware | Sen. Chris Coons | Democratic | "Fightin' Blue Hen" |
| District of Columbia | Senior Advisor to the Mayor Lindsey Parker | Washington, DC flag | |
| Florida | Rep. Gus Bilirakis | Republican | Rocket |
| Rep. Anna Paulina Luna | Republican | ||
| Georgia | Rep. Andrew Clyde | Republican | Rifle |
| Guam | Rep. James Moylan | Republican | Proa boat |
| Hawaii | Sen. Mazie Hirono | Democratic | Traditional Hawaiian quilt with taro design |
| Idaho | Rep. Russ Felcher | Republican | Horn of Plenty |
| Rep. Mike Simpson | Republican | ||
| Illinois | Rep. Nikki Budzinski | Democratic | Ear of corn and USPS mailbox (with Rep. Bergman, R-MI) |
| Indiana | Rep. Rudy Yakym | Republican | IndyCar |
| Iowa | Rep. Zach Nunn | Republican | Pig |
| Kansas | Rep. Tracey Mann | Republican | Sunflower |
| Kentucky | Rep. Hal Rogers | Republican | Banjo |
| Louisiana | Rep. Troy Carter | Democratic | Mardi Gras beads |
| Maine | Rep. Chellie Pingree | Democratic | |
| Maryland | Rep. Jamie Raskin | Democratic | Blue crab |
| Massachusetts | Rep. Lori Trahan | Democratic | DNA molecule with CRISPR |
| Michigan | Rep. Jack Bergman | Republican | Rocket motor and USPS mailbox (with Rep. Budzinski, D-IL) |
| Minnesota | Sen. Amy Klobuchar | Democratic | Hockey sticks and loon |
| Mississippi | Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith | Republican | Catfish |
| Missouri | Rep. Wesley Bell | Democratic | F-15 |
| Montana | Rep. Ryan Zinke | Republican | Rainbow trout |
| Nebraska | Rep. Mike Flood | Republican | Nebraska state capitol building |
| Nevada | Rep. Susie Lee | Democratic | Red Rock Canyon |
| New Hampshire | Rep. Maggie Goodlander | Democratic | Granite quarry |
| New Jersey | Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman | Democratic | Diner sign |
| New Mexico | Rep. Gabe Vasquez | Democratic | Hot air balloon |
| New York | Rep. Tom Suozzi | Democratic | Empire State Building and NYC yellow cab |
| North Carolina | Rep. Don Davis | Democratic | Flue-cured tobacco |
| North Dakota | Rep. Julie Fedorchak | Republic | Honey and prairie rose |
| Northern Mariana Islands | Rep. Kimberlyn King-Hinds | Republican | Latte stones |
| Ohio | Rep. Marcy Kaptur | Democratic | "Dotting the 'I'" |
| Oklahoma | Rep. Stephanie Bice | Republican | OKC basketball |
| Oregon | Rep. Suzanne Bonamici | Democratic | Christmas tree |
| Pennsylvania | Rep. Chrissy Houlahan | Democratic | Steel beams and mushrooms |
| Puerto Rico | Rep. Pablo José Hernández | Democratic | Pava hat |
| Rhode Island | Rep. Gabe Amo | Democratic | Submarine |
| South Carolina | Rep. Sheri Biggs | Republican | Peaches |
| Rep. Joe Wilson | Republican | ||
| South Dakota | Rep. Dusty Johnson | Republican | Bison |
| Tennessee | Rep. John Rose | Republican | Fiddle |
| Texas | Rep. August Pfluger | Republican | Oil derrick and pumpjack |
| US Virgin Islands | Rep. Stacey Plaskett | Democratic | Conch shell |
| Utah | Rep. Burgess Owens | Republican | Beehive |
| Vermont | Sen. Peter Welch | Democratic | Maple tap |
| Virginia | Rep. Jen Kiggans | Republican | Aircraft carrier |
| Washington | Rep. Emily Randall | Democratic | Washington State Ferry |
| West Virginia | Sen. Shelley Moore Capito | Republican | New River Gorge bridge |
| Wisconsin | Rep. Gwen Moore | Democratic | Cheese wheel |
| Wyoming | Sen. Cynthia Lummis | Republican | Bucking horse |
The completed cake was unveiled to the public at the National Birthday Cake Tribute ceremony on July 4th, 2026 at the Library of Congress James Madison Building, hosted by America250. Pak delivered remarks alongside America250's VP of Government Relations, Thomas Jensen, as well as Representatives Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX) and Rudy Yakym (R-IN). The ceremony concluded with Reps. Gonzalez, Yakym, and Julie Fedorchak (R-ND) joining Pak in presenting the first slices of cake to a Tiger Scout and a Daisy Scout, symbolizing the present generation's service to the next generation. Reps. Fedorchak and Yakym were also Congressional contributors to the cake.[11]
Personal life
Pak says little publicly about her personal life, but has mentioned she is married, lives in New York City and Colorado, and grew up in northern New Jersey.
She is a fan of Formula 1 and attends races.
Media appearances
| Year | Type | Outlet | Title | Role | Streaming/Accessible On |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | TV news | NBC4 | "Behind the making of America's bipartisan birthday cake"[12] | Story feature | NBC |
| 2026 | TV news | CNN | America 250 special event live coverage with Dana Bash and Boris Sanchez[13] | Guest interviewee | CNN |
| 2026 | TV news | CNN | Inside Politics[9] with Dana Bash | Story feature, guest interviewee | CNN |
| 2026 | Print news | New York Times | "Making America's Birthday Cake"[14] | Story feature | New York Times |
| 2026 | Podcast | Politicology | "American Made" | Guest interviewee | Spotify, Apple Podcasts |
| 2026 | Podcast | The Sporkful with Dan Pashman onSiriusXM | "What Will America’s 250th Birthday Cake Look Like?" | Guest interviewee | Spotify, SiriusXM, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music |
| 2025 | TV show | Food Network | Super Mega Cakes[15] | Team Duff | HBO Max,[16] Prime Video |
| 2024 | TV show | Netflix | Is It Cake? Holiday (All-stars) | Contestant | Netflix |
| 2024 | TV show | Netflix | Is It Cak3? (Is It Cake? Season 3) | Contestant | Netflix |
| 2023 | TV show | Cooking Channel | Stab That Cake![17] | Contestant | Discovery+, HBO Max, Disney+ |
| 2021 | TV show | Food Network | Buddy vs. Duff | Judge | HBO Max, Disney+ |
| 2020 | TV show | Food Network | Candy Land[18] | Contestant | |
| 2018 | TV show | Food Network | Ridiculous Cakes | Contestant |
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "LinkedIn | Grace Pak". LinkedIn. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
- ↑ "Colorado cake artist on new season "Is It Cake?"". KMGH-TV. 2024-04-01. Retrieved 2025-07-17 – via Yahoo News.
- ↑ "Programming Partners - America250". america250.org. Retrieved 2026-04-15.
- ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2026-04-15.
- ↑ "What Will America's 250th Birthday Cake Look Like?". The Sporkful with Dan Pashman. Retrieved 2026-06-18.
- ↑ "North Jersey Scholars", The Record, April 24, 2005. Accessed February 18, 2025, via Newspapers.com. "Grace Pak, Saddle River Day School Year of graduation: 2005"
- ↑ "Visually Evoked Response Differences to Contrast and Motion in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder". scispace.com. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ↑ Severson, Kim (2026-07-03). "Making America's Birthday Cake: Flour, Frosting and (Sigh) Politics". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-07-09.
- 1 2 "July 4 Celebrated Amid Dangerous Heat Wave On East Coast; FBI Expands GA 2020 Election Probe With Another 260 Intel Officials; Gov. Shapiro Expects Trump To Try "Everything In His Power To Undermine Our Elections"; Cake Artist Creates America 250th Cake. Aired 12:30-1p ET". CNN Transcripts. 3 July 2026. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
- ↑ CITATION PENDING
- ↑ "America250 Unveils Monumental National Birthday Cake Tribute at the Library of Congress". America250. 4 July 2026. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
- ↑ "Behind the making of America's bipartisan birthday cake". NBC4 Washington. Retrieved 2026-07-09.
- ↑ "America Celebrates 250 Years; Mount Vernon Celebrates America's Founding Fathers; D.C.'s Great American State Fair Celebrates 250 Years; Making America's Official 250th Birthday Cake; Thomas Jefferson's 6th Great-Grandson Joins The Celebration; Exploring Revolutionary Boston; Tonight On CNN: Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular; world War Two Hero Honored. Aired 4-5p ET". CNN Transcripts. 4 July 2026. Retrieved 8 July 2026 – via CNN.
- ↑ Severson, Kim (2026-07-03). "Making America's Birthday Cake: Flour, Frosting and (Sigh) Politics". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-07-09.
- ↑ Super Mega Cakes. Food Network. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ↑ Watch Super Mega Cakes. HBO Max. 2025. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ↑ "Stab That Cake". TV Guide. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ↑ "Candy Land". TV Guide. Retrieved 2025-07-17.