Archive: Around Town

Zoë Dubrow won 1st Place with her Summer Garden Cupcakes in the 5th Annual Ithaca Cupcake Baking Contest organized by The Sophie Fund. Inspired by the vibrant flowers in her own backyard garden, Dubrow's cupcakes consisted of a chocolate and pistachio cake formed to resemble a terracotta pot topped with icing made from raspberry panna cotta, raspberry mousse, and pistachios.

"They have a lot of components and were a bit challenging to make," said Dubrow, a PhD student in plant science at Cornell University. "But, like growing a garden, baking them was a good reminder that dedicating time and focus to something you love can be very rewarding and, in this case, delicious!"

Rachel Allison won 2nd Place with her Fall Foliage Cupcakes designed to highlight the brilliant colors of autumn and golden afternoon light. The matcha and ginger cupcakes were decorated with a walnut praline spread garnished with gold-dusted chocolate leaves, gold leaf, and gold dragées."This cupcake is a fusion of the all the best parts of fall," said Allison. "The flavor is inspired by my favorite cool-weather drink, a matcha latte, blending earthy matcha with creamy ganache and buttercream."

Candice Mahadeo took 3rd Place with her Pistachio and Chocolate Cupcakes, using a personal recipe that was 10 years in the making. "I always had friends and family joyfully agree to be my testers all along the way," said Mahadeo. "These cupcakes can be the crowning glory of your party contributions, as they were mine. They are the perfect decadent comfort food to satisfy your sweet tooth."

This year's contest, moved entirely online due to Covid-19 coronavirus social distancing guidelines, produced cupcakes with diverse themes including fall foliage, Halloween, black cats, backyard gardens, farm animals, TV heroes, family memories, coronavirus, and mental health. Forty-four contestants baked cupcakes and then shared photos, stories, and even some videos featuring their delicious creations. The winners were announced at a Facebook Live Event on Saturday hosted by The Mighty Mickie Quinn and Kitschy Scofflaw. Elanor Harris with her Cauldron Cupcakes, inspired by the year-round Halloween decorations adorning her home, won the prize for Best Video. "The story of my cupcakes is, unfortunately, not a spooky fairy tale," Harris said. "It is merely the story of a girl who loves both Halloween and baking and wanted to honor those two loves with the cupcakes she created."

Tabitha Gray won the Youth Award for cupcakes inspired by an unlikely source: Twister, her pet rooster. Gray's lemon pop cakes with lemon frosting were decorated with a rooster head and feathers made of fondant and food coloring. "A couple weeks ago, I heard a bird scream and saw all the birds were there except my rooster," said Gray. "I went into the woods and saw a fox run away. Then I saw Twister. We didn't think he'd make it through the night but now he's walking again. He's still slowly getting better."

The Best Story Award went to Ivy Stevens-Gupta, who submitted Hidden Treasure Cupcakes in memory of her daughter, Cach'e Dallas Pelletier. The tropical-themed and rum-flavored vegan cupcakes contained a treasure inside consisting of Pop Rocks representing precious jewels. According to Stevens-Gupta, Cach'e died by suicide five years ago at age 29, having suffered from anxiety and an opioid addiction due to pain caused from a car accident.

"My goal in creating these cupcakes was two-fold: to honor the memory of my daughter, and to bring about awareness of the need for better mental healthcare, drug addiction, and suicide prevention programs," said Stevens-Gupta. "May we all be kind to one another and to animals."

"I am unbelievably impressed by this year's entries," said Quinn. "Having the contest in this format allowed us to learn more about the contestant and the love they put into their creation. And, we're all here for the love! Thanks to all for coming together to celebrate our bakers and support The Sophie Fund."

Judging the finalists were professionals from Ithaca's great culinary community: Yuko Jingu of Akemi Food; Ashley Case of Case Sera Sera; Racquel Riccardi of the Sinfully Delicious Baking Co.; and Melissa Kenny of Sweet Melissa's Ice Cream Shop.

"I am blown away by all of the time and love that went into all of these cupcakes," said Kenny. Echoing the sentiment, Riccardi added: "It truly warmed my heart to hear the stories behind these inventions!"

Case believed this year's contestants raised the bar. "The thought, creativity, and attention to detail in each cupcake were exceptional," she said. "The stories and videos made each submission that much better."

The 5th Annual Ithaca Cupcake Baking Contest was sponsored by GreenStar Food Co+op, Alternatives Federal Credit Union, and Well Said Media. Student organizations supporting the contest include: Active Minds at Ithaca College, Active Minds at Ithaca High School, and these Cornell University student organizations: Cornell Minds Matter; Alpha Phi Omega Gamma Chapter; Phi Sigma Pi honor fraternity; PATCH (Pre-Professional Association Towards Careers in Health); and Building Ourselves through Sisterhood and Service (BOSS).

The cupcake baking contest is organized every year by The Sophie Fund, which was established in 2016 in memory of Cornell University art student Sophie Hack MacLeod to support mental health initiatives aiding young people. Sophie's passion for baking cupcakes inspired the launch of the first Ithaca Cupcake Baking Contest in 2016. At the time of her death by suicide at age 23, while on a medical leave of absence from Cornell, Sophie was active in Ithaca's vibrant culinary scene. According to her family, she hoped to open her own bakery after completing her Cornell degree.

Full List of Winners

1st Place & Grand Prize ($250):
Zoë Dubrow

2nd Place ($100):
Rachel Allison

3rd Place ($50):
Candice Mahadeo

Best Video Award ($250):
Elanor Harris

Youth Award ($100):
Tabitha Gray

Best Story Award ($100):
Ivy Steven-Gupta

Honorable Mention:
Active Minds at Ithaca High School
Audrey Greene and Simon LeRoux
Aušra Milano
Bella McClintic
Della Keahna
Devan Accardo
Hannah S.
Pamela Crossno
Reflect at Cornell
Tamarynde Cacciotti

Nostalgia Award:
Alli Arndt

Home for the Holidays Award:
Anastasia Kreisel

Four-Out-of-Five Opticians Recommend Award:
Angela Li

Spirit of Fall Award:
Anna Whitten

Pretty in Pink Award:
Bella Nevarez

Breakfast Club Award:
Brenna Hanratty

Monster Banana Split Award:
Dina Shapiro

Oh Gourd, They’re Good Award:
Village at Ithaca

Cupcake on a Budget Award:
Emma Moulton

Best Cookies and Cream Award:
Hailey Whitten

Most Intoxicating Award:
Heather Williams

Somewhere Over the Rainbow Award:
Henry Bowes

Mid-Autumn Festival Award:
Judy Zhu

Rooted in Tradition Award:
Juno Parreñas


Whoopee! It’s Pumpkin! Award:
Katy Holloway

Improvisation Award:
Lei Lei Wu & Sophia Zhang

Cuckoo for Coconut and Chocolate Award:
Lillian Bulman

Mental Health Message Award:
Mariah Meads

Ode to Applefest Award:
Mary Sever-Schoonmaker

Halloween Spirit Award:
Molly Smith & Tyler Rodriguez

Please Wear a Mask Award:
Hudson and Patti Meyers

Doggone Cutest Award:
Sam Suk

Holiday Excite-mint Award:
Shayla Combs

Time Lord Award:
Silas Suk

Best Co-Worker Award:
Summer Saraf

Cutest Creatures Award:
Natalie McCaskill-Meyers

Most Homegrown Award:
Madelyne Meyers

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