Contributed by Derby Lite
The Great Oak Park CupQuake of 2011 was a sweet success. The June 4 event raised more than $600 for the Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry and will allow the pantry to stock its shelves with nearly $7,000 worth of food.
The event, sponsored by Derby Lite, Oak Park’s roller skating fitness class, asked local professional and amateur bakers to put their best cupcakes forward in a blind tasting for a group of almost 50 judges.
“We have never had a fundraiser like this before,” said Kathy Russell, executive director of the Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry.
The ARC building, 18 Chicago Ave., was transformed into a sweet shop as judges moved from table to table sampling 17 different cupcakes in three categories — Red Velvet, Specialty Flavor and Vegan/Gluten-Free — with names like Viva Vanilla, Strawberry Rose and Chocolate Salty Caramel. Judges filled out scorecards and rated the best in the areas of appearance, cake flavor and frosting flavor.
Some judges had a minimalist approach to tasting by trying each cupcake one at a time while pondering flavors. Others like Oak Park resident Christine Ingaldson heaped their plates full of treats and munched in round robin fashion.
“I’m a cupcake freak,” Ingaldson said. “I’m taking little bites all at once to narrow it down then I will get coffee and enjoy a bigger bite of my favorites.”
The scorecards were tallied and amateur bakers Alyssa and Jennifer Misiak’s “Red Hot Derby Light” cupcake was named the Best Cupcake of Them All.
The other winners in the three categories were:
Specialty: 1st- Alyssa and Jennifer Misiak’s–Red Hot Derby Light,
2nd-Tootsies Bakery – Toffee Crunch Cake, 3rd – Christina Kapler –
Tres Leches with Dulce de Leche
Vegan/Gluten-Free: 1st-– Bleeding Heart Bakery – Smores, 2nd- Bleeding Heart Bakery – Black Forest, 3rd-– F.N. Fed – Ginger Kid
Red Velvet: 1st- Christina Kapler – Red Velvet for Jeremy, 2nd- Bleeding Heart Bakery – Red Velvet, 3rd- Kimberly State – Velvety Red
The event also raised $100 for Viva’s Rainy Day Fund, a Derby Lite scholarship that offers the fun and fitness of Derby Lite to women who cannot financially afford the cost of skates, protective gear, and registration, but want and need the benefit of stress relief, total body balanced workout and social support of this exercise program and recreational league.
Derby Lite is an Oak Park-based roller derby league promoting roller skating fun and fitness for women old enough to know better. For more information, go to www.derbylite.net.