photo: Jacob Lehman
San Francisco photographer
Dianne Boate, once dubbed the "cake
lady," stands in
her garden, located on the balcony of her
21st Avenue apartment.
By Judith Kahn
Dianne Boate, truly a Renaissance woman,
bounds with creativity.
Recently, at her home in
the Richmond District, she was in the process
of creating a variety of apple dishes, apple
butter and her newest creation, "baked
la Montanya apples." Boate had just returned
from the De La Montanya Winery in Dry Creek,
and brought back 450 apples.
Boate is an accomplished
photographer. Some of her favorite pictures
are of the Merced River in Yosemite and one
of her four cats, caught in a single moment
with a glint in their eyes. Richmond
residents will have the opportunity to see
Boate's art at the upcoming Open Studios on
Oct. 16 and Oct. 17. She calls her studio,
"The Secret Garden Gallery," and
is looking forward to having the opportunity
to show her photographs and meet new people.
Boate's love for nature
and photography started in 1985, when an incurable
illness struck her family. By 1992, Boate
had experienced three funerals and a private
service for her cat. After spending too many
hours in hospitals and hospices, Boate realized
photographs of nature could lift people's
spirits.
Boate and her husband Robert
are veteran travelers and many of her photographs
are of beautiful scenes, captured in places
they have been to, like Iceland. She sees
nature as "something of a wondrous beauty
composed of infinite natural color combinations
and designs."
Another of Boate's passions
is sewing. Throughout her sewing room are
many detailed and brilliantly colored hats
and custom designed vests she has made.
In her 7-by-24-foot rooftop
garden, Boate grows nearly 40 kinds of plants.
"I love looking out
of my window at the fat red geraniums, cascades
of blue lobelia and artichoke," she said.
"I celebrate every new shoot, bud and
blossom."
Boate also has the distinction
of having been declared "the cake lady"
in 1974 for her baking bravado.
"Baking is a never-ending
fascination for me. For cakes, the design
possibilities are endless," she said.
Once, Boate made a heart-shaped
cake more than five feet in diameter for senior
citizens at City Hall. She said it took her
seven hours to bake.
She also made an 85 pound,
tiered "zoo cake" that was decorated
with cookies in the shape of owls, bears and
dinosaurs. The top tier was a carousel of
animals.
One of her favorite cakes
has baked meringue on top that reads "Happy
Birthday."
The secret to Boate's success,
she says, is her ability to stay focused.
It is important to stay in the moment and
give your full attention to that activity,
and not shift to the next project until you
are ready to give it your full attention.
Aside from snapping pictures
and baking big cakes, Boate also writes "Libations,"
a column published in Bay Crossings.
Boate says she has been
writing since she was a child and has always
recognized the need to be observant.
She attributes her curiosity
and drive to create to her father.
"He saw the tiny seeds
of creativity and ability, and nurtured every
one by providing as many different experiences
as he could," she says.
After moving from Los Angeles
to the Richmond, Boate ended up running the
finance office of the Renaissance Pleasure
Faire. Later, she became the catering director.
"The Richmond District
has an atmosphere that has been very conducive
to my sense of well being, and my own development
during the last 30 years," Boate said.
