Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan Bake-off Cookie Benefit invites you to eat for a good cause

YPSILANTI – The secret ingredient for successful restaurateurs in Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor is chefs who aren’t afraid to take chances with their culinary creations.

An event sponsored by the Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan beginning at 6 p.m. on September 25 at Washtenaw Community College will give the general public an opportunity to try one-of-a-kind desserts prepared by chefs who know no bounds when it comes to mastering signature dishes. The chefs’ creations use Girl Scout Cookies as the main ingredient. All proceeds from the event – the Girl Scout Cookie Bake-off Benefit – will be used to fund outreach programs for girls in Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan’s Ypsilanti/Ann Arbor region.

Annette Weathers, owner of Bona Sera restaurant in Ypsilanti, said that these girls are the reason she and her business partners are participating in the Bake-off for the second consecutive year.

“We love anything that gets girls involved in any number of activities,” Weathers said. “We just like Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan.”

Jan Barker, Chief Executive Officer with Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan, said people who attend the Bake-off enter into an unofficial partnership with her organization to make sure that any girl who wants a Girl Scout experience will have one regardless of her financial circumstances.

“Our outreach programs bring the benefits of Girl Scouts to the girls who need us the most,” Barker said. “We offer programs in juvenile detention facilities, schools with a high rate of free or reduced lunch, homeless shelters and community centers in low income neighborhoods.

“The financial contributions made during the Bake-off will have a lasting impact on the lives of many of these girls who will learn that they have the ability to become strong women who will lead no matter what career path they choose.”

Guests have the option of purchasing individual tickets for $45 or purchasing tickets for a table of eight for $325. This gives them exclusive access to desserts and savories, in addition to items in Live and Silent auctions and the chance to vote for their favorite chef entries.

Jordan Conn, pastry chef with la Dolce Vita and the Chop House restaurants in Ann Arbor, said she is participating for a second straight year because she thinks community outreach is an important part of her role. Last year she made a cream pie using Samoa cookies as the main ingredient. She said she is still working on her recipe for this year’s Bake-off that will likely use Do-Si-Do cookies.

Bona Sera’s entry last year contained Thin Mint cookies in a dessert that was shaped like a giant King Dong with peppermint shards on top. This year, Weathers and her team will be using Samoas, but that’s all she is divulging.

“Last year we entered because it sounded like fun and we wanted to see how we rated compared to other restaurants and bakers,” Weathers said. “We placed second, so that was great.”

For information about the Bake-off Benefit, call 800-49-SCOUT. To purchase tickets visit girlscoutbakeoff.com.

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