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The Story Behind the Life-Size Amon-Ra St. Brown Upside Down Cake

Blake Silverman

Life-size Lions-themed display with a cake of wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown at The Home Bakery in Rochester, Mich.
Life-size Lions-themed display with a cake of wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown at The Home Bakery in Rochester, Mich. / Screengrab via The Home Bakery in Rochester, Michigan on Instagram (@homebakeryroch)
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When Amon-Ra St. Brown flipped upside down to celebrate a three-yard touchdown catch vs. the Packers on Nov. 3, he created a moment.

He sprinted in motion toward the opposite side of the field, faked out Packers defensive back Keisean Nixon and turned his shoulder to haul in a perfectly placed ball from Lions quarterback Jared Goff. St. Brown's catch came on fourth down and put Detroit on the board, the beginning of 24 unanswered Lions' points in a 24-14 win.

Amon-Ra St. Brown's headstand
Detroit Lions wide receivers St. Brown and Patrick celebrate after St. Brown catches a touchdown pass against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, November 3, 2024, at Lambeau Field. / Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

St. Brown and the Lions stormed into Green Bay and continued one of the best starts in team history. And his headstand celebration became an instant classic across Detroit.

The icon of St. Brown balanced on his head found its way onto t-shirts and Christmas ornaments. His upside-down body was used in place of the number one across social media graphics week after week to signify the Lions' updated record. And now, a Detroit-area bakery created a life-size model to commemorate the image out of cake.

The Home Bakery in Rochester, Mich., about 25 miles north of Ford Field in downtown Detroit, plans to display the edible masterpiece in their window for passersby to enjoy throughout the Lions' playoff run.

Heather Tocco, the owner of Home Bakery, said the idea to create the St. Brown sculpture was a no-brainer for her and her team of nearly 30 employees.

"A lot of us are big football fans, big Lions fans," Tocco told Sports Illustrated over the phone. "There was this excitement building, this pride [for the Lions.] The idea for the cake was one of those things that just pops in your head that we needed to do something. More for us than anything, initially."

The Many Details Behind the Amon-Ra St. Brown Cake

After the bakery would close up shop for the day, Tocco and some of her team members would work on the Lions-themed display far into the night and into the early morning hours. All during their busiest time of the year: the holiday season.

Work wasn't only centered on the St. Brown cake, either. Each inch of Home Bakery's window space was planned with meticulous detail. The marquee letters that script "Detroit" represent the city's roots. The new Lions' font for the logo on the shop's window depicts the team's new, successful era after years of disappointment. The black logo in the background represents the black uniforms and new helmets the Lions have worn this season, which the team teased they planned to wear in Week 18.

Tocco also wanted to ensure head coach Dan Campbell was represented.

"I truly admire that man," Tocco said. "I think there's a lot to be learned from him. Not only as a coach but if you're a team leader, a business owner of any sorts, the way he leads is inspiring."

As customers walk into Home Bakery while the display stands, they'll see a quote by Campbell on the shop's side window.

"We don't live off reputation, we live off of work," it reads.

As for the St. Brown cake itself, Tocco noted a lot of different flavors of cake are found inside. When she's asked about flavors inside her store's many character sculptures, though, "it has to be chocolate, right?" A lot of the St. Brown structure is made out of rice krispy so it can hold up for six-plus weeks in the store's window. Some styrofoam and thread rod is included as well to ensure the figure maintains its form over time.

What's to Come in the Motor City?

Since the life-size cake hit the internet, it spread like wildfire. The St. Brown Podcast, which Amon-Ra hosts with his brother Equanimeous, gave the Home Bakery a shout out. Tocco said that Amon-Ra's management has already reached out so he can stop in himself and see his likeness in cake.

Tocco did say throughout the process she thought of a goal of getting a photo with Campbell because of how much she admires him as a leader. Campbell's wife, Holly, reposted the cake on her Instagram account, so that photo is only a matter of time.

Another goal of Tocco's depends on the Lions' playoff run: she wants to bake the celebratory cake for the team's first-ever Super Bowl victory. When the Lions do claim their first Lombardi Trophy, the Home Bakery is ready.

Overall, though, the outpouring of support her team received for their hard work is above all.

"My team is ecstatic, in awe, thrilled, humbled," Tocco said. "They're everything right now. And my team works so hard. If I get emotional in the moment, especially coming right after the holidays, to see the joy on their faces with all this excitement is all the reward I really need. They're an amazing group of people that work for me, I'm so proud of them."

Tocco, a Campbell-like leader herself, and her team got the much deserved recognition for simply doing what they do.

Now, Campbell and his Lions sit at 14-2 with an opportunity to win the NFC North and secure the conference's No. 1 seed Week 18 against the Minnesota Vikings (14-2).

If the confetti falls Honolulu Blue and silver come February, Tocco and her team will be ready to bake.

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Blake Silverman
BLAKE SILVERMAN

Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk. He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.

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