Tiers for the bride and groom
At Dessert Works in Norwood (38 Vanderbilt Ave., 781-769-1133, dessertworks.net), wedding cakes are as fussed over as the wire-stiffened, ostrich-plume pouf hairdos of pre-revolution Versailles. Owner Kristen Repa, her own blond hair flattened under a pink bandana, sits perched on a red mechanic's stool drawing intricate Florentine ivy with a paper cornet. Her husband, Leonardo Savona, packs a finished multi-tiered cake. Savona has long, dark, curly hair, plus lots of earrings, and black leather biker boots. Last year Dessert Works made cakes for 230 weddings. In a "bridal suite," as the pair calls it - a private tasting room adjacent to the bakery - prospective brides and grooms can look at cakes, sample some, and order what they like. Repa bakes and decorates; he delivers. "We take it slow in the van," he says, "but potholes can come out of nowhere. We've had a couple of mishaps over the years but my wife always comes out to save the day." - JONATHAN LEVITT 