Cupcake lovers from far and wide gathered in Ottawa’s City Hall Sept. 26 to sample and admire delicious and wildly decorated cupcakes at Ottawa’s second-ever Capital Cupcake Camp.
Not your average camp, Cupcake Camp is a one-day event where professional and amateur bakers gather to showcase their treats.
Both tasters and bakers pay a small fee to join the fun, and all the proceeds raised go to local charities. A panel judges the bakers’ goods, and winners are awarded with praise and a small prize.
“It’s an event that’s happening around the world,” says China Doll, a judge for last year’s event and host for this year’s Capital Cupcake Camp. “It was originally started in Ottawa by Nicole LeDrew.”
“I became borderline diabetic and I don’t like milk, so I think that cut me out [as a judge]!” Doll says.
The event started after LeDrew, a Carleton alumnus, saw something that peaked her interest on Twitter.
“I had seen someone tweeting about Cupcake Camp in San Francisco, and I thought it was a great idea,” LeDrew says. Before she knew it, she was helping organize Ottawa’s first Capital Cupcake Camp.
This year LeDrew participated as a baker, adding her own creations to the 111 types of treats brought to the table. Some recipes were outrageously original, like Krista Leben’s chocolate bacon peanut butter cupcakes.
“It’s incredible to see the variety [of cupcakes]. When you constrict to form, I think people get much more creative,” says Ian Capstick, one of this year’s event organizers.
It isn’t just the array of mouth-watering treats that make the event so appealing; it’s also the atmosphere.
Baker Annie Stanley explains, “Baking is what I want to turn my life into, and it’s neat seeing everyone else who has the same dreams as me.”
Michelle Morrison, a veteran who has attended three events — two in Ottawa and one in Montreal — was one of many impressed by this cupcake camp’s venue and organization.
This year, bakers stood beside their creations, as opposed to last year’s event where the bakers weren’t allowed to remain with their cupcakes. This year’s set up allowed bakers to socialize with tasters.
Celebrity judges Chef Michael Blackie of the National Arts Centre’s Le Café, Alan Neal of CBC Radio, Kady O’Malley of Power and Politics and Lynne Frappier of the Whalesbone Oyster House had no easy task in picking the winners of this year’s cupcake camp.
“You have to have the flavours come through. It’s not necessarily about presentation. It’s all about the taste,” says Chef Blackie.
At the end of the day, the judges awarded eight winning titles to the bakers.
Michelle Clark, whose cupcake tied with Katie Murphy’s for the title of Best Filling in a Cupcake, says she was ecstatic about her success.
“It’s one thing when your friends and people at work tell you it’s good, but then when it’s complete strangers . . . it’s just kind of nice to see that other people enjoy what you’re doing,” Clark says.
The day was full of smiles and sweets, and most importantly, support. This year’s Cupcake Camp raised $6,000 for Women Alive and the Youth Services Bureau.
Kady O’Malley, one of the judges, says she sees a bright future for Capital Cupcake Camp.
“Capstick is a guy who’s always looking for a way to top his last initiative, so he’ll probably do that with this as well,” she says.