If you know me by now, then you know that I love to cook and bake! It’s definitely something I’ve gotten from my mom – ever since I can remember, my mom would always have a home cooked meal on the table for us whenever we got home from school or work. Honestly, I still have no idea how she did/does it… But it definitely has taught me a ton about being in a kitchen.
One of my absolute favorite things my mom makes is her homemade cheesecakes. They are easily the GREATEST things I’ve ever tasted (cappuccino for the win). I was so stoked when I found the Whisked event hosted by the Detroit Free Press and Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers. I know it’s dorky, but I love any excuse to learn something new about baking – especially from Manal at For the Love of Sugar!
Thanks to the awesome people at the Freep, I was given 2 tickets to attend the event at the Great Lakes Culinary Center and got full access to walk around stalking people with my camera (honestly, it’s one of my favorite things to do). I obviously started with the appetizers table – the maple pumpkin dip and chicken salad were major stars of the show! I personally loved the variety of cheeses because I’m in a dedicated relationship with cheese… So..
Anyway, I then headed around to the featured tables. I wasn’t really sure what to expect at this event – for starters, my friend and I were some of the youngest people there… Nothing new for me since that’s usually what it’s like at cooking events, but I definitely stood out being young AND randomly taking pictures. I regret nothing, though, because I’ve gone back to these pics multiple times to look up the 4 bakeries – they were SO GOOD.
Following the apps and perusing all of the tables, the presentations began. Whisked has been going on for 3 years, but for some reason, this was the first time I’d heard of it. Each of the 4 bakeries got up in front of the audience and presented one of their favorite recipes in an open kitchen concept. It was the coolest thing to see them actually working through all of the steps and explaining it it person. It was like being back in my mom’s kitchen as a child.
I learned how to make all kinds of treats, from homemade marshmallows to gluten free pumpkin scones – which, by the way, tasted JUST like the Starbucks ones! The 4 bakeries (Holiday Market, Good Cakes and Bakes, Ethel’s Baking Co., and For the Love of Sugar) did such a great job, and viewers even got to taste-test each of the yummy treats!
To literally nobody’s surprise, I got macarons from FTLOS (okay, how cool is this galaxy one?!), but I’ll definitely be checking out all of the other bakeries for any holiday goodies I need!! Big thank you to the Free Press and Chevy Dealers for putting on a *sweet* event – I’ll definitely be back next year to learn some more tricks in the kitchen!
Bri Car 