KING CAKE
YOU DID IT AGAIN !!!!!
Don’t pull a muscle, but go ahead and pat yourself on the back, for another very successful event put on by our members.
The bakers all arrived at noon at Northgate mall, with their pieces of King Cake in hand, (or box) our “King Cake Carpenter” Mark Vincent arrived with the rolling table top, and his trusty tool kit and all pitched in and began to assemble the 8 ft. by 8 ft table. The ladies were right there to decorate this table with a Mardi Gras theme in skirt, table cloth and centerpiece. About 1 PM all was ready to start placing the pieces side by side to form a giant coffee cake around this huge table.
Then came the AMAZING part at least it was Amazing to those spectators gathered who never before had seen bakers with rubber gloves, icing this cake with their hands, then came the fun part as they came around the table and rotating the colors of purple, green, and gold sugar. It was truly a colorful sight.
By 1:30 PM the people were like a bunch of
Vultures ready to swoop down on our wonderful cake display, and wanting to know how to get the prizes. They had been promised the cake would be cut at 1:30 PM but there were complications, Channel 12 was on the way, what should we do now?
Then a wonderful thing happened, Chris Girmann in his “Big Man” voice, told the audience the whole story of the King Cake, how it got started, why we make it, and answered questions, he did an amazing job, and quieted the “mob” until Channel 12 arrived.
Seven bakers with knives in hand began to cut the cake, in squares and the ladies and older children took serving plates full of cake around to the onlookers, 475 pieces were served in a matter of 30 minutes, not a crumb was left.
On the other side those who discovered a coin in their cake redeemed the coin for a prize. There was a stack of Paczki boxes each containing 4 Paczki, and a stack of King Cakes, these were the most popular prizes, beside that there were Masks, Paczki Dolls,
Mardi Gras ducks, and oodles of beads.
It was a wonderful time for the bakers to get to know each others families, as the babies in strollers were pushed around the crowd. We were on the Channel 12 news that night, and made a colorful sight.
Thanks to Bakemark who furnished the sugar, and Dawn for the Roll Icing. And to all those who brought pieces for the cake:
BUSKEN BAKERY
GRAETER’S BAKERY
LITTLE DUTCH BAKERY
MIDWEST CULINARY INSTITUTE
NO. COLLEGE HILL BAKERY
REGINA BAKERY
ST. LAWRENCE BAKERY
SCHMIDT’S BAKERY
SERVATII PASTRY SHOP
JANSEN’S SWEET SINSATIONS
Thanks to all those who brought the Paczki and King Cakes for prizes, and John Cline who brought his family to wear costumes, and to all those who stayed and did the clean up, you make a big task fun
PACZKI EATING CONTESTS
We were fortunate to have at the High School 9 Paczki Eating Contests (one was cancelled because of snow) Every contest was a big success, those school where we have been holding these contests for the past 5 years are always glad to see us, as we come in with costumes in bags and our give away dolls, we are greeted with a smile and “is it Paczki time again, glad to have you back.”
The new school this year was Lakota West, and they want us back next year.
Fourteen years ago when this Paczki awareness campaign started with Billbords all around the city, no one knew what a Paczki was, and now everyone knows what it is, and looks forward to its season. Thanks to the bakeries that furnished the Paczki for these contests:
Regina Bakery did two schools
Bonomini Bakery
Busken Bakery
No College Hill Bakery
Servatii Pastry Shop
Graeter’s Bakery
Little Dutch Bakery
Harrison Home Bakery
Thanks to Dennis Smith, Paper Products Co who furnished all the boxes, and was faithful to all the contests.
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