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He's a professional baker, not an athlete, yet over the past quarter-century Martin Perham has posted slam-dunk statistics for the Utah Jazz.
Since 1991 — when the then-Delta Center opened — the owner of Martin's Fine Desserts has baked, decorated and delivered more than 125 cakes, fruit tarts, éclairs and truffles for every regular-season home game. Add in preseason games, playoff matchups, special events, fundraisers and the 2002 Winter Olympics and Perham estimates his all-time scoring record is more than 150,000 desserts.
The treats are served all over the building, from the fine dining clubs and banquet rooms to the luxury suites. The only place they are not available is at concession stands.
The team's first regular-season home game is Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers, and Perham already is warmed up for his 26th season. For a recent preseason game, he and his team filled an order that included 31 carrot cakes with cream-cheese frosting (including one without nuts), 28 fruit tarts, 25 cappuccino chocolate cakes, 28 caramel cheesecakes, two white chocolate cakes, two apple cream cakes, eight dozen chocolate cake truffles and 12 large chocolate éclairs.
While the desserts are usually started one or two days in advance, game day is when most of the real action happens. Perham's professional kitchen in an industrial area of South Salt Lake is buzzing by 8 a.m. as cakes and tarts are frosted, topped with fruit, cut, boxed and put into the company van. By 10 a.m., all that's left to do is deliver the goods to Vivint Smart Home Arena.
Like any competitive athlete, Perham looks forward to the start of the season — even though the schedule can be grueling on weeks when there are several home games. Of course, nothing will match 2011, when the NBA players went on strike. When the conflict finally was resolved, the league scheduled several back-to-back makeup games.
"Some weeks we had two or three games in a row. That was horrendous," said Perham, who was born and raised in London and immigrated to the U.S. at 18. Now 52, he has never lost his accent or wry British humor.
"He's a character," said Thomas Satterfield, the corporate chef for LHM Sports and Entertainment. Satterfield has worked for the LHM Enterprises for 18 years but has known Perham for more than two decades.
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Training camp • When Perham immigrated to the United States, he lived in California and worked in various hotel kitchens. He had worked for about a year in Nassau, Bahamas, when a former California boss called and offered him a job at Salt Lake City's Little America Hotel.
In 1991, he went out on his own starting Martin's Fine Desserts and contracting with several downtown Salt Lake City hotels. "It was through that relationship that I got the contract with the Delta Center," he said, still remembering the arena's grand opening. "We started small with 10,000 pieces in our order," he joked.
Quality and dependability are part of the reason for Perham's longevity with the Jazz. "With the amount of product we order from him, he can get overwhelmed at times, but he always pulls through," said Satterfield. "He really takes pride in his work."
Satterfield said while fans enjoy Perham's decadent chocolate cake and the creamy caramel cheesecake, it's "his carrot cake and fresh fruit tarts that are favorites."
LHM Enterprises also contracts with Schmidt's Pastry Cottage and Carol's Pastry Shop, both in Salt Lake City, for cookies, éclairs and other baked items for the arena's specialty dining rooms. And the arena's on-site culinary staff produces warm desserts like cobblers, crisps and puddings. "With the sheer number of people we feed — about 8,000 — we have to have a variety," said Satterfield. "But Martin has been with us the longest."
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Making assists • When he's not baking for the NBA, Perham is an active member of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, the world's oldest and largest food and wine society. His participation has led him all over the world to study good food and wine. He also has helped many young food entrepreneurs launch their businesses by renting them space in his commercial kitchen, something he was able to purchase after the Winter Olympics.
While the Utah Jazz are his biggest customer, Perham makes cakes and other desserts for several area restaurants, including Siegfried's Deli and Bohemian Brewery. He also does individual orders for birthdays, weddings and other special occasions.
That's how Pete and Heidi Cannella, owners of Fratelli Ristorante in Sandy, came to hire Perham.
When the Cannellas were planning their wedding, they had their mind set on a pistachio lemon layer cake for the celebration.
"We had a firm idea what we wanted," said Pete Cannella, but several bakers they interviewed didn't have their same vision.
Then they met with Perham, who created a pistachio cake layered with lemon mousse and fresh raspberries and topped with a thin layer of butter cream, marzipan and a lemon glaze. "Martin saw what we wanted to do and made it," said Cannella.
When the couple opened their restaurant a month later, they made sure "the cake," as it's called, was on the menu.
The restaurant also serves carrot cake, cheesecake and tiramisu from Martin's Fine Desserts, but the pistachio cake is the star, said Cannella. "We've bought that dessert from him since day one."
For 25 years, Martin Perham, owner of Martin's Fine Desserts, has made cakes, tarts, éclairs and other desserts for the Utah Jazz. He also does individual orders for birthdays, weddings and other special occasions.
Where • 2163 S. Richards St., South Salt Lake; 801-244-0823
Online • martinsfinedesserts.com