Montrealers are clearly passionate about cupcakes and about helping children’s charities. This past sunday, 2,500 sugar lovers flocked to the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth hotel for the second annual Cupcake Camp Montreal, a fundraiser benefiting children’s organizations.
There were 20,800 cupcakes donated this year, up from the 3,500 that appeared at last year’s event. Putting a love for sugar aside, the fundraiser’s chief organizer Eva Blue and co-organizer Laura Carmosino said that the donations made to the children’s charities are the most important part.
“We raised over $31,000,” said Blue. “The best part for me was really about being able to do something so amazing with great people. It is a completely volunteer-run event and it would have never happened the way it did without them. It’s one thing to eat a cupcake; it’s another thing to help someone by eating a cupcake.”
The $10 entry tickets bought visitors a free drink and three cupcake tickets, with all of the proceeds going to two local charities, Kids Help Phone and La Tablée des Chefs.
By 1 p.m., the fundraiser’s starting time, there was a lineup of sugar-hungry people that streamed across the first floor of the hotel and up the stairs to the second floor. At 1:30 p.m., the MCs, radio personality Anne-Marie Withenshaw and Radio-Canada’s Rebecca Makonnen announced that 500 people were waiting in a lineup that made its way down Mansfield Street.
The third floor was where the fun was had. As the sugar-hungry approached the doors to the ballroom, the event’s main location, the first thing to greet them was the heavy aroma of frosting.
Tables and tables of sugary treats surrounded those in attendance. Among those judging the mini-desserts were CTV’s Todd van der Heyden, pastry chef Michelle Marek and Food Network stars Chuck Hughes, Nadia G and Ricardo Larrivée.
The thousands of cupcakes were divided into three categories of bakers: children, amateurs and professionals. Each group battled it out in taste and design contests within their category. The winners of each went up against each other for the ultimate honour, best cupcake in Montreal. There were also contests for best Montreal-themed cupcake, people’s choice and failcake, an award given to the worst of the worst.
