Today I'm Entering My First Bake-Off: The KCRW Good Food Pie Contest

Today, for the first time ever, I am entering a pie in a bake-off. I've always wanted to enter food contests...baking ones, not eating ones (too many hot dogs or marshmallows stuffed in my mouth and I think I'd puke). But usually there is some lousy reason it doesn't work out - I find out too last minute or it's too expensive or it requires traveling or something. Actually, I did once try entering a recipe into the Pillsbury Bake-Off, but that didn't go very far, and there was no event where all applicants prepared their recipe and brought it to a judging panel to taste. That was only for the 100 finalists.

When I read that chef Evan Kleiman of Good Food on KCRW (Los Angeles's NPR radio station) was hosting a pie contest, I got really excited. I'm not even a regular pie baker, though I'm also not new to pies. The contest rules said I could enter up to 4 pies, one for each of the 4 categories: fruit and nut; cream, custard, chiffon and mousse; savory; and interpretive pie, one that "defies categorization." I didn't want to overdo my first ever bake-off experience; one pie was plenty. I called up my mom, told her about this contest that was happening on a weekend when she happened to be visiting my sister and me in LA, and we spent a couple nights devising a delicious pie recipe to co-enter! We chose the mousse category.

I won't divulge the recipe until after the contest is over (and only if the pie is not a complete failure or embarrassment to the pie-eating world), but I will say three ingredients that are featured in our pie: Chocolate, Peanut Butter, and Bananas. My mom and I each made the pie in our respective kitchens and then reconvened by phone to discuss any modifications we felt were necessary. Last night, with my mom in town, together under one roof, in my Los Angeles kitchen, we prepared the official pie entry. Mother-daughter activities are the best!

A berry pie I made a few years ago. Not the recipe I'm entering in this contest!

I hear there are 150 pies entered. Holy moly that is a lot of pie for the judging panel to taste! I just hope all 150 pies aren't variations on the one my mom and I submitted, you know, with the same three featured flavors. That would be a big bummer. I'm going to think positively and remain calm!

Speaking of judges, take a look at this incredible list of judges!

• Mark Peel - Executive Chef & Owner, Campanile
• Russ Parsons - Food Editor for the LA Times
• Stefan Richter - Chef & Owner, Stefan's at LA Farm; Former Contestant on Bravo's Top Chef (Season 5)
• Eric Greenspan - Chef & Owner of The Foundry on Melrose
• Elizabeth Belkind - Executive Pastry Chef/Owner of Cake Monkey
• Amy Scattergood - Food writer, LA Weekly
• Eddie Lin - of the blog DeepEndDining.com and the book Extreme Cuisine
• Amelia Saltsman - author of The Santa Monica Farmers Market Cookbook
• Pim Techamuanvivit - Food Blogger and author of The Foodie Handbook
• Clifford Wright - Noted Chef and Cookbook Author, Co-Founder of the Venice Cooking School
  

And there you have it! I will keep you posted on my experience. I'm so excited just to take part in it! With my mom by my side co-entering, and my sister there for moral support (and to taste people's yummy pies), it's a Happy Go Marni family affair.

Wish me luck!

The Recipe for Blogger Prom 2009: Lots of Cheese and Hard Work

Ericka of City Elf and me

It was about 2 months ago that I received an email from Caroline of Caroline on Crack and Esther of e*star LA, two fun, well known Los Angeles bloggers, asking me to join them on a quest to create an unforgettable Blogger Prom on Wednesday, July 22, 2009. I agreed, still not exactly sure what Blogger Prom even was! They recruited a couple of other wonderful bloggers, and the 8 of us became the Blogger Prom Committee...

• Caroline of Caroline on Crack
• Esther of e*star LA
• H.C. of LA and OC Foodventures
• Lindsay of LAist
• Marni of Happy Go Marni
• Maya of Shop Eat Sleep
  
• Natalie of The Liquid Muse
• Tara of When Tara Met Blog

The entire Blogger Prom Committee
L to R: Caroline, Natalie, Tara, Marni, Esther, H.C., Lindsay, Maya

Our mission was to organize an event that would bring together Los Angeles bloggers from every genre: food, tech, lifestyle, fashion, and everything in between. These are people we follow online but often have never had the chance to meet in person. The Andaz West Hollywood, a newly renovated hotel on the Sunset Strip with amazing views of Los Angeles, agreed to open their rooftop to us for the occasion. The venue was set, but we still had a lot more work to do!

View from the rooftop of the Andaz West Hollywood Hotel

We immediately built a Blogger Prom blog and set out to create an exclusive invite list and seek sponsors. We were overwhelmed by the responses. Trying to get 200 bloggers to attend this event turned out to be so easy that we had a waitlist! And because of the golden opportunity this became for brands of all sorts, being able to show off their products to a Who's Who of influential, talkative bloggers, sponsorship was also not a challenge.

In fact, we ended up turning down companies right and left because we could have had hundreds and that would have just been messy! Still, we kept enough that there were dozens of raffle prizes - everything from a $100 gourmet chocolate assortment from Charles Chocolates (YUM!) to a 6 game assortment of Wii games by EA (fun!!) to restaurant gift certificates to tickets to the Hollywood Bowl to a $300 gift basket of booze from The Edison in Downtown and so much more. And let's not forget the beloved, coveted goody bag that every attendee would receive at the end of the evening. Raffle prize winner or not, no one went home empty-handed. The bag contained chips, booze, free food coupons, a t-shirt, lube, ear plugs, hair products, granola bars, a Goldstar poster and a lot more. A big THANK YOU to the generous sponsors.

Over-stuffed goody bags for all!

We had liquor sponsors and one of our very own Blogger Prom Committee members, Natalie of The Liquid Muse, even concocted a signature cocktail for the evening. We had an official prom photographer Claire Barrett, whose work is amazing! We required cheesy prom attire, encouraging 80s era since that's as cheesy as you can get, and we were strictly enforcing that dress code at the door. The 8 of us committee members divided up the shifts for the evening so someone was always checking people in at the door, handling the raffle, giving out goody bags, etc... And after putting so much thought into every detail of the night, it was a big success! We are so pleased with the turnout, the outfits, the venue, the food, prizes, goody bags, and most importantly, the smiles on everyone's faces. They all seemed to be having a great time. Many asked us if we'd be doing this again next year because they for sure want to be on the list. I don't know what next year has in store, but as for 2009, yeah, I think we can safely say, "Mission accomplished."

Maya of Shop Eat Sleep receives her corsage from friend Chris

I went for the poofiest sleeves I could find

My friend David with the Cheese Impresario Barrie Lynn
who matches cheese to cocktails

Cheesecake pops from Pure Cheesecakes

Silamith, the liquor rep for Martin Millers Gin and Caroline of Caroline on Crack

To read some of the Blogger Prom coverage, take a look at these links:

BlogHer, "Blogger Prom 2009 in Los Angeles"
Caroline on Crack, "Blogger Prom 2009: Backstory and Wrap-Up"
LA Weekly, "We Hit It…Blogger Prom, That Is"
Lalawag, "Bloggers Just Wanna Have Fu-un"
Food Woolf, "Getting To Know You at LA’s Blogger Prom"
Franklin Avenue, "Scenes from a Blogger Prom"
Kevin Eats, "Blogger Prom (West Hollywood, CA)"
Nadine Jolie, "Jolie, the Prom Queen"
Shop Eat Sleep, "Blogger Prom was Awesome"
When Tara Met Blog, "Blogger Prom 2009"
and for hundreds of photos, the Blogger Prom Flickr Group Pool

Winners Announced for the 2009 L.A. Cupcake Challenge

The baker behind Sugar Jones holding up her Award-Winning Blackberries and Cream Cupcake.

Let's put a stop to the anticipation. In case you've been checking back to see who won the 2009 L.A. Cupcake Challenge on Sunday, the results are finally in. There were two categories - Traditional (you know, your red velvets, chocolates, vanillas, etc...) and Original (the more exotic, creative, unexpected flavors). An Overall Winner was also selected.

So without further ado...

Best Traditional
1st: Susie Cakes: Red Velvet
2nd: Two Parts Sugar: Raspberry Red Velvet
3rd: Blue Cupcake: Chocolate

Best Original
1st: Polkatots: Dulce De Leche
2nd: Sugar Jones: Blackberries and Cream
3rd: Southern Girl: Sweet Potato Pie

Best Overall
1st: Polkatots: Dulce De Leche
2nd: Sugar Jones: Blackberries and Cream
3rd: Sugar Jones: Casanova's Kiss

As you can see, Sugar Jones impressively won 2nd place for her original Blackberries and Cream cupcake, and then took home 2nd and 3rd place overall! I'm very excited to see Blue Cupcake made it to 3rd place in Best Traditional because I thought the quality of her cupcake to be outstanding and I was hoping the rest of the voters felt the same way. Polkatots's Dulce De Leche was certainly the talk of the room on Sunday; so many people came up to me and asked if I had tried that one yet because it was going to be a surefire winner. Those are some smart tasters, predicting the future like that! Southern Girl's Sweet Potato Pie was another I enjoyed, and there was nothing at all similar to it of the dozens of cupcake flavors submitted to the Challenge.

Southern Girl's Award-Winning Sweet Potato Pie

I am sad not to see a couple of my personal favorites on these winner lists, such as the Pineapple-Upside-Down cupcake from Susie Cakes or Buttercake Bakery's Chocolate, but I'm also not shocked and appalled by any of the winners, and I admit there were definitely a few cupcakes entered on Sunday that did not do anything for me and frankly, would have offended me and my taste buds if they had won.

Blue Cupcake's Award-Winning Chocolate

Congratulations to all the winners! Heck, congratulations to all who entered at all. I can't even imagine making HUNDREDS of identical cupcakes, keeping both flavor and presentation consistent, then lugging them in a vehicle to the event, setting up a display, and maintaining a smile as people (including myself) piggied their way from booth to booth. A lot was asked of you bakers, and I don't take any of it for granted!

So when is the 2010 L.A. Cupcake Challenge? :-)

2009 L.A. Cupcake Challenge Leaves a Pleasing Aftertaste

Delilah Bakery

The much hyped 2009 L.A. Cupcake Challenge sponsored by Nesquik happened yesterday and in two words: 5 stars. I had so much fun. And not just because I brought a whole posse with me. My mom flew in for the weekend, my sister and her fiance attended, my first cousin and her boyfriend, and a bunch of friends and coworkers.

Part of the ballot

My coworker's shoe

It took place at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel in Hollywood, a perfect venue for the occasion. There was plenty of space to roam and sit and the cupcake booths lined the perimeter of the ballroom. The Nesquik bunny was there, posing for photos and handing out regular and mini sized versions of Chocolate and Strawberry Milk. A photobooth was stationed at one corner of the room allowing for unlimited corny photos with friends to be taken.

My sister Beth and me with the Nesquik Bunny

Flavor Feelings
I attended last year's Cupcake Challenge and learned a few things to make this year's experience more enjoyable (which seems hard to do when last year's was awesome). Namely, I learned not to eat whole cupcakes if I wanted to make it through all 37 flavors. And as a judge this year, I felt it my responsibility to try every single cupcake if my vote was going to be fair. Slow and steady wins the race. I was there the entire 3 hours in order to eat so many sweets. But I did it.

And on top of that, I broke my own rule: I fell in love with two cupcakes and ate the entire darned things, not sparing the tiniest crumb. The first time that happened, it was for Susie Cakes' Pineapple Upside Down Cake, and the second time, it was for Buttercake Bakery's Chocolate.

Susie Cakes Pineapple Upside Down - out of this world!

Buttercake Bakery Chocolate - again, out of this world!

While those were the only two cupcakes I gobbled up completely, there were plenty of others that caught my attention...The Lavender cupcake from Melli Belli was wonderfully moist and full of lavender flavor. The Coconut cupcake from Blue Cupcake made me want to order a full-sized 9 or 10-inch round layer cake for my next party. And the Chocolate Dipped Strawberry from Charmed Cupcakes had a perfect crumb, a strong chocolate flavor, and yummy pieces of strawberry in the cake, not to mention an attractive presentation with star-shaped chocolate candies stuck into the frosting. Miss Priss Cupcakes had an excellent banana chocolate chip cupcake named Monkey Bites and was, in my opinion, one of the prettiest ones to look at. Oinkster/Boho's Chocolate Bread Pudding was certainly memorable, though denser than I'm used to for a cupcake. As for booth decor, I was really impressed with Delilah Bakery's outdoor garden motif. All in all, it was an amazing afternoon of cupcake overload.

Melli Belli Lavender and Gingerbread cupcakes

Blue Cupcake Coconut and Chocolate cupcakes

Blue Cupcake Coconut cupcake display

Sugar Jones Blackberries & Cream

Miss Priss Cupcakes Monkey Bites

Two Parts Sugar Raspberry Red Velvet

Hotcakes Bakes Strawberry Cupcakes

Oinkster/Boho Chocolate Bread Pudding

Charmed Cupcakes Chocolate Dipped Strawberry and Red Velvet

Another important lesson I learned from last year is that bringing Tupperware is a VERY good idea. Many of the booths had leftover cupcakes at the end of the event and were happy to fill your boxes and bags if you had them. Plus, it's such a shame to throw out half of a wonderful cupcake simply because you can't eat 37 full cupcakes in one sitting. So Wise Marni brought a container this year and saved halfsies and a few more wholes for the road. I'll need a week to recover from the sugar coma, but then I'm sure I'll be able to dig right in.

Someone's makeshift "Tupperware" filled with whole cupcakes

Hats off to another successful Cupcake Challenge. It was well organized and the quality and range of bakeries was impressive. It's no wonder the place was packed, tickets were sold out, and blogs and news organizations spotlighted the event.

One of many trips to the booths

Judge's Wardrobe
In my last blog post, I asked you if it would be ok for me to wear the same shirt as I wore last year. The shirt read, "Make Cupcakes Not War." Many of you said it would be just fine and I was all set to wear it again, but with some time to spare hours before the Cupcake Challenge, I decided to return to Johnny Cupcakes on Melrose in West Hollywood and find myself a new wardrobe.

First of all, I decided on a really fun one - no words this time, just an image of stemmed flowers but with cupcakes as blossoms. I'm glad I decided to change shirts; I spotted a handful of people at the event with my last year's shirt.

Also, I can't get over how FUN this t-shirt store is! The place is decorated like a bakery, even though there's nothing edible inside. Glass display cases show off t-shirts, and retro ovens line the walls and randomly open so fake steam can blow out. You have got to visit their store sometime, and at the very least, visit their cool website designed to be an oven. I'm hooked on Johnny Cupcakes and will probably end up there again for a 2010 L.A. Cupcake Challenge costume change. :-)

Johnny Cupcakes store on Melrose in West Hollywood

Retro ovens on the wall at Johnny Cupcakes open randomly and let fake steam out!

**Note: Because votes could be submitted up until the very end of the event, winners were not announced at the event. They will be tallied and announced soon, but you're going to have to wait!

**Update: Winners have been announced! See my next blog post.

This L.A. Cupcake Challenge Judge Doesn't Know What to Wear!

Last year, May 18, 2008 to be exact, I attended the L.A. Cupcake Challenge. It was an amazing experience, delicious, sickening, and fun all at once. And I reported on the day in this very blog.

Well this year, I'm headed back, but I'm wearing a different hat. Ok technically I didn't wear a hat last year. But what I mean is, I'm a judge! The 2009 L.A. Cupcake Challenge, sponsored by Nesquik, is happening this Sunday, March 29.

But before that day arrives, where I will taste 34 cupcakes from 19 bakeries across the land and schmooze with the most discriminating of taste buds, I need your advice. I have but one question for you:

Can I pull off wearing the same shirt as last year? The shirt reads "Make Cupcakes Not War." The message will always be in fashion, but is wearing it two years in a row a faux pas? Let me know in the comments!

The Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling

8lb. block of cheese used for rolling

How much this really has to do with food, I couldn't tell ya. Except the prize is 8lbs. of cheese.

I'm talking about the 2008 Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling. It just doesn't get much weirder. The annual UK tradition of chasing cheese down a deadly steep hill took place on Monday at Cooper's Hill. The official website has this to say about last year's first place winner:

Christopher Anderson, 20, was stretchered off wearing a neck brace on a spinal board after hurting his back as he finished head over heels.

That's right, he could have been paralyzed for trying to win cheese. This year's winner is Tony Hanks, the local postman. I don't know his medical status.

Here's how the race works:

• First, the MC counts to four.
• Then, the guest roller releases the heavy wheel of cheese and it goes flying down the hill.
• Then, and borrowing the website's own dramatic words, "The competitors hurl themselves [Marni thinks to herself: OMG!! OUCH!] down the slope after the cheese."
• And finally, the cheese is awarded to the first competitor to reach the foot of the hill.

Take a look at this rolly-polly video of the event.



Is this not the cheesiest festival you've ever seen in your life? ;)

LA Cupcake Challenge: And the Winner Is...

Leyna's Kitchen strawberry cupcake wins Best Overall

With all this talk of the LA Cupcake Challenge, I think it's high time we announce some winners!

For more information on the event, including photos of the cupcakes, read my review. Here in this post, I'll just be givin' you the names...


Best Traditional
1st place: Red Velvet from Vanilla Bake Shop [judges' choice]
2nd place: Red Velvet from Yummy Cupcakes
3rd place: Red Velvet from Hotcakes Bakes [public's choice]

Best Original
1st place: "Paradise" from Sugar Jones [judges' choice]
2nd place: Peanut Butter and Jelly from The Oinkster
3rd place: "Blood Orange Fudge" from Essential Chocolate Desserts
Note: public's choice was "Strawberrilicious" from Leyna's Kitchen

Best Overall
1st place: "Strawberrilicious" from Leyna's Kitchen [public's choice]
2nd place: "Paradise" from Sugar Jones [judges' choice]
3rd place: Peanut Butter and Jelly from The Oinkster


Now, I don't know how the calculations were made and what weight was given to the judges' votes vs. the public's so I couldn't tell you anything about these honorable titles. In any case, congrats to Leyna on having the best overall. Her strawberry cupcake really was superb in flavor, aesthetics, and crumb.

Sure Enough, I'm in LA Weekly

As I mentioned in my recap of the LA Cupcake Challenge I attended on Sunday, I was approached by three media outlets because of my shirt: ABC 7, Food Network, and LA Weekly. Well, one of the three has already materialized. I'm in LA Weekly! Here's the famous photo...

Photo by Mark Mauer of LA Weekly

I Attended the L.A. Cupcake Challenge

Wayyyy back in mid April, I wrote a post announcing the L.A. Cupcake Challenge happening in May. Well, that eventful day arrived yesterday, and I was there to see how it all went down.

First, let me say, I loved it. I took a girlfriend and we waited almost no time in line on the Hollywood Blvd. sidewalk outside the Montmartre Lounge to have our names crossed off the list. We climbed the red carpeted stairs to the event, picked up an empty wine glass and a voting sheet, and began the tour de force of cupcake tastings.

Now let me admit, I could have planned better. There were two bakeries stationed at the entrance, then some white leather sofas for lounging, and then a giant room full of booth after booth of cupcake bakeries, displaying their concoctions and handing out mini-versions. I had no idea just how many samples I'd end up eating. So for the first couple of mini-cupcakes, I ate the entire things. I shouldn't have. As the afternoon rolled on, I too felt I would soon be rolling on... I ended up needing to cut back and take single bites of sample cupcakes in order to try as many as possible.

On a side note, as you can see above, I wore my cupcake tee for the occasion. The shirt says Make Cupcakes Not War. And because of that silly shirt, I was approached by three media outlets: LA Weekly, ABC 7, and the Food Network. In the pic below, I'm being interviewed for the Food Network. They made me promise to enter my own cupcakes in next year's L.A. Cupcake Challenge. What did I just get myself into!?


Returning your attention to cupcakes (and away from t-shirts), many of the cupcake flavors were traditional, such as red velvet, chocolate, and vanilla, though there were variations among even those. For example, one red velvet had sugar crystals, another was strictly vegan. Many of the cupcakes were creative, in both presentation, and flavor combinations. I was really pleased with the variety. Here are just a few of the cupcakes I sampled yesterday.

Mandarin orange cupcake with pistachio frosting from Sugar Jones

Chocolate cupcakes with a beer-caramel sauce from Lucky Devils

Lemon cupcakes from BabyCakes Baking Company

Root beer float cupcake complete with straw (so cool!) from Yummy Cupcakes

Peanut butter and jelly cupcake from The Oinkster

Red velvet, Elvis, and another I can't remember from Violet's Cakes

Strawberry cupcake from Leyna's Baby Cakes

Red velvet cupcakes from Hotcakes Bakes

Just some of the remaining scraps

I went home satiated, sick, vowing never to eat another cupcake in my life, and unable to do anything but lie sprawled out on my couch and watch my latest recorded Ugly Betty episode. But I have to tell you, despite all the queasiness post-event, the experience of being in a room filled with bakery booths - and all the sensory and mental happiness that comes with that - was one of the most amazing food experiences I've had.

Oh, and a couple hours after the event, I managed to eat an apple and a small cucumber. Still waiting for my sweet tooth to grow back...


Note: The winners of the L.A. Cupcake Challenge were not announced at the event so that attendees would have the full three hours to cast their vote. Check back later to find out who won!