On Friday, Nov. 8, Girl Scouts of West Central Florida (GSWCF) will host Dessert First to benefit the nearly 21,000 girls and nearly 10,000 adult members served by the council in Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Marion, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, and Sumter counties. This year will mark the exciting return of the event since it was last held in 2010, and will be the eighth time the event has been hosted by the Girl Scout council.
The event, which will be held at the InterContinental Tampa (4860 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa), will feature Girl Scout Cookie desserts prepared by the Tampa Bay area’s top chefs. This year’s eight participating chefs will use their creative flair to create one-of-a-kind desserts using Girl Scout Cookie favorites, such as Thin Mints, Samoas, and Tagalongs, to compete for the judges’ choice “Golden Whisk” and people’s choice “Silver Whisk” awards.
Chefs confirmed for this year’s event are with Roy’s Tampa, The Palm, Columbia Restaurant, GrillSmith, InterContinental Tampa, Datz Dough, Brio Tuscan Grille, and Publix Aprons Cooking School. Dessert First judges are Jeff Houck, food writer with the Tampa Tribune; Ernest Hooper, Columnist/East Hillsborough Bureau Chief with the Tampa Bay Times; and Meredyth Censullo, Girl Scout alumna and AM News Traffic Reporter with ABC Action News.
In addition to decedent Girl Scout Cookie-inspired desserts, Dessert First will also feature hors d'oeuvres, cocktails, and live and silent auctions. Auction items include a six-night Royal Caribbean cruise, an exciting Tampa Bay Buccaneers game package, a five-night stay at the Mainsail Beach Inn on Anna Maria Island, select golfing packages, and exclusive weekend get-a-ways.
Individual tickets for Dessert First are $80 per person through Nov. 1; $100 per person Nov. 2-8. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.dessertfirsttampa.com. Sponsorships are also available by contacting Terri Costello, development manager: (813) 262-1688 or tcostello@gswcf.org.
