Anyone who has ever plunged down the Instagram rabbit hole of food porn hashtags has witnessed the huge pool of untapped talent among amateur bakers and food stylists. And now the folks at The Infatuation, the restaurant review site behind #EEEEEATS, are harnessing all that energy at a real-life tasting in Manhattan. They received over 1,500 submissions for this first-ever crowd-sourced bake sale, and the top 26 contestants will be showcasing their best dishes on Saturday at Canoe Studios. One grand prize winner will have the opportunity to meet with Whole Foods’ local forager to learn about what it takes to sell in stores.
Infatuation co-founder Andrew Steinthal says the idea for the bake sale resulted from the astounding number of amateur bakers that contact them through social media. They reached out to Whole Foods Market as a collaborator and a partnership was born. “We have such a focus on small, local purveyors that we sort of feel like anyone could be one,” Whole Foods representative Michael Sinatra told us.
The idea clearly has traction among their followers: all 500 tickets sold out in less than five days at $40 a pop. With treats like chocolate chip pretzel cookies with salted caramel, chocolate whiskey bombs, and gluten free honey cakes, the appeal is obvious. Didn’t manage to snag a seat? Follow the beauty contest at #EEEEEATS and #InfatuationBakeSale. All proceeds benefit Cookies for Kids’ Cancer.
