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Nearly 150 Attend Annual Just Desserts
Chocolate, cookies and cakes! Oh my! The Lexington Woman’s Club fourth annual Just Desserts last month was a dessert-lovers dream!
Fifteen local bakers provided delicious, unique desserts for the event, which drew nearly 150 people to the Virginia Horse Center. The event raised $13,350 to help fund the club’s many community projects.
Chef John Stallard of C.H.E.F.S. Catering Company took home the first place Judges’ Choice award with his Triple Chocolate S’mores Strata.
The second place Judges’ Choice award went to chefs Tanya and Gennifer of The Georges with their Lemon Pie.
The third place Judges’ Choice and People’s Choice awards went to Delorise Boateng of Del-Licious Treats, LLC with her Shortbread with Caramel Filling and Milk Chocolate Topping.
Other bakers participating in this year’s fundraiser included GloBowl Café, Happy Cakes by Haley, Let Them Eat Cake, LLC, Lexington Mercantile, Lexington Catering Company (Southern Inn), Pure Eats, Rockbridge Cake Shoppe, Sweet Treats Bakery, Thistleberrys, Washington and Lee University Dining Services, and Toppers by Paula Binsted And, for the very first time, the event featured a “Mystery Baker.” The bakers turned out to be Andi and Miranda Mackey. Andi is in third grade at Central Elementary School, and Miranda is a sophomore at Rockbridge County High School. “These very talented young ladies created their desserts all on their own, and didn’t reveal who they were until the day of the event,” said club spokeswoman Mel Botulinski. “They are the granddaughters of one of our members.”
The judges this year were Mayor Frank Friedman of Lexington, who attended with his wife, Melissa; Mayor Tyson Cooper of Buena Vista, who attended with his son, Matthew; Mayor Tom Mc-Craw of Goshen; and Mayor Paul Williams of Glasgow.
“All four judges took their job of tasting each dessert very seriously, and they did a superb job,” said Botulinski. “We thank them for their time, effort and taste buds! Mayor Williams even commented to one of our club members, ‘I don’t usually like sweets, but this was fun!’
“Our sincere appreciation also goes to our sponsors, whose generous contributions helped make Just Desserts possible,” said Botulinski.
The sponsors this year included the following: Master Chef Level - Serendipity Farm, Mackey Litter & Lime, Kendal at Lexington.
Executive Chef Level - Anita James and Edward Baum, The Georges.
Pastry Chef Level - Huffman Insurance Agencies, Corner-Stone Bank.
Sous Chef Level - Spencer Home Center, BARC Electric Cooperative, Mark and Sherry Cline, YBeU Life Coaching for Women, Purveyors on Main, Christy Harris of Edward Jones, Speakeasy Pilates, DuPont Community Credit Union, James River Realty, Lexington Running Shop, Hamric & Sheridan Jewelers, Great Valley Farm Brewery, Sweet Treats Bakery, Randy Shomo of Wells Fargo Advisors, Earth, Fire & Spirit Pottery, Donelle DeWitt Graphic Arts & Illustration, LLC.
The Lexington Woman’s Club has been serving Lexington and Rockbridge County since 1911. The club is part of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC), which is one of the oldest and largest women’s service organizations in the world. It is dedicated to community improvement through volunteer service. Visit the website www.womansclublexva.com for more information.
