This competition was no laughing matter for the three food critics at the office of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs.
From 4:30 to 5:15 on Monday afternoon, the three critics taste-tested the best cakes, cookies and pies that nine local law firms had to offer, as part of the committee’s 10th Annual Cooking for Kids Bake Sale and Taste-Off Competition.
“They take this seriously. Their professional reputations are on the line,” said Roderic Boggs, executive director of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee, which hosted the event.
Epstein Becker & Green took first prize in the cakes category for a chocolate cake baked by associate Anjali Downs. For critic Chris Floyd, director of Capital Restauraunt Resources, the addition of Guinness was what put the cake over the top.
“There’s not enough alcohol. There’s never enough,” lamented Floyd, a critic in 2009’s Taste-Off as well, referring to the rest of the competition.
Critic David Dorsen (pictured above), former food and wine editor of Washingtonian magazine, suggested that the lack of alcohol might be a reflection of the larger state of Washington’s legal industry.
“They were a little timid. Maybe the economy really hasn’t turned,” he said.
The third food critic in the competition was Aleks Duni, owner of Heller’s Bakery and other local eateries.
Read more of the story and photos by the National Law Journal's Diego Radzinschi
Drinker Biddle & Reath was the Taste-Off’s big winner, taking first prize in the cookie category for white chocolate chip and cranberry cookies, made by associate Alisa Lahey. Drinker Biddle also took first in the pie category with a black and white fudge pie with walnuts, made by associate Alain Lapter.
Rebecca Lanz, marketing and recruitment coordinator for the firm, said 22 employees baked deserts for the competition. These were whittled down to one entry in each of the three categories by a five-judge panel last weekend.
“This year we may have gotten a little more inventive, but it was all super yummy,” Lanz said. “A lot of people who don’t normally cook came out of the woodwork for the competition.”
Amy Simmons, manager of legal recruitment and professional development for Epstein Becker, said the competition for entries was high at her firm as well.
“One person even brought in monkey bread, which doesn’t qualify as a cake, but it was tasty as well,” said Simmons, whose firm raised more than $200 in its bake sale.
Each of the participating law firms had bake sales at their offices on Tuesday morning. The money went toward the Washington Lawyers’ Committee’s D.C. Public School Partnership Project, which provides support to local public schools for tutoring, mentoring and other services. Thirty-one law firms are paired with local schools as part of the project.
“It’s a great way to support the schools and keep our partnerships in the public eye,” said Larry Katzman, deputy public services coordinator for Steptoe & Johnson, which raised $520 in the bake sale.
Steptoe was the big winner in the 2009 competition when it took first place in the Best Pie and Best Cake categories. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld took the prize for Best Cookie last year.
For Dorsen, who regularly judges the Taste-Off, the best part of the competition was the complete lack of another form of desert, one often cited as Washington’s most popular pastry.
“Cupcakes are overrated,” Dorsen said. “It was kind to the judges to not have any cupcakes.”
(More photos below from the Taste-Off)
(Dorsen, Floyd and Duni taste-test the desserts)
I am really curious to find out how the white chocolate chip and cranberry cookies really taste like, (first prize in the cookie category by Alisa Lahey of Drinker Biddle).
If the recipe is not yet patent protected, I would appreciate a copy of it.
yum yum cookie monster
R R
Posted by: R. Rennane | March 12, 2010 at 06:19 PM