When Halekulani pastry chef Mark Frei­schmidt set out to create something special to adorn our Academy Awards-themed Star-Advertiser Sunday Magazine cover this week, he wanted to avoid the obvious: an edible knockoff of the familiar golden statuette.

He went instead for a spectacular tribute to the silver screen — all in chocolate. Aiming for what he called an “antique, old-school” effect, he whipped up a centerpiece of Black Forest cake that was carefully placed atop film reels and garnished with a silver orb, flowers and brandied cherries. Silver spires provide a dramatic backdrop.

Even the strips of “film” attached to the reels are chocolate, decorated by Frei­schmidt to resemble the old silver-nitrate film stock.

Freischmidt, 39, said it took 16 hours to pull off the showpiece.

His pastry skills will be further on display tonight when the Halekulani hosts the Hawaii International Film Festival’s Shine Like the Stars Gala.

Mahalo to Freischmidt and Halekulani public relations manager Aki Okumura for gamely accepting our request to produce an Oscar-worthy design for our cover.