Tasty kickoff to food bank fundraiser

It was a tasty kickoff Nov. 6 to the Sudbury Food Bank's Christmas Card campaign.

Ten cakes from 10 different chefs were tasted and tested in the first cake-decorating competition.

Sarah Garrioch, Sher Watson, Donald Jobin, Denise Lambert, Joanne Serre, Sophie Henri, Michelle Vaters, Veronica Denomee, Melanie Dionne and Tammy Cheguis each submitted cakes for the competition. They were all judges on overall taste, originality, plate presentation and presentation of the whole cake.

In the end, Donald Jobin's cake reigned supreme as the overall points winner.

"I wasn't really expecting to win," he said after tasting victory. "I got involved because this was something for the food bank. It was a lot of work getting my cake ready, but it was well worth it. The money is going to a worthy cause."

Best presentation went to Melanie Dionne.

Sophie Henri, 18, was the youngest of the competitors. She said going up against nine other elaborately decorated cakes was nerve-racking.

"It was my first time entering a cake into a competition," she said.

Her pumpkin-spiced caked was called Wonderland, as it was decorated as a winter scene, with white frosting in the shape of a sliding hill, complete with trees and snowmen.

"It took two days to make it," she said. "With Christmas coming, I wanted to do something with that theme.
I've been baking with my mom since I was little, and a few years ago, I started baking for family birthdays. I'm just an amateur, and I've seen everyone else's cake, so it made me really nervous."

After the awards went out, all of the cakes were auctioned off, bringing in more than $1,500 for the food bank. Melanie Dionne's cake sold of $700 alone.

"It's been a very successful evening," said food bank executive director Dan Xilon. "I cannot believe the beauty of these cakes, talk about art, they're just gorgeous.

"Every card that is sold means a meal for someone in Greater Sudbury over the holidays, and I can't thank the community enough for their support."