A "Sweet" Celebration
Princeton Dining Services and the USG honored outgoing Dean Nancy Malkiel with "Dean's Bake; a Fondant Farewell to Dean Malkiel Cake Competition" on Friday April 29 in the Gallery at Frist Campus Center. Three teams were chosen from a group of initial design entries submitted from the Princeton community. The finalists created their cakes in a live competition based on their original designs. Cakes were presented to a team of judges, including Dean Nancy Malkiel, Professor Burton Malkiel, pastry chef Heather Minnich, and USG President Michael Yaroshefsky '12. Cakes were judged on flavor, appearance, theme and uniqueness of design. When the votes were tallied, Team Chocotigers (Alexandra Azzolino '12, Sandi Knuth '14, and Sekai Zengeza '12) were the winners. Their delightful rendition of the Princeton shield in dark chocolate and orange ganache was awarded the first-place trophy.
Team Chocotigers: Sekai Zengeza '12, Alexandra Azzolino '12, and Sandi Knuth '14
"That was definitely one of the tastiest and most memorable experiences of my Princeton career," said Michael Yaroshefsky. "All of the contestants did a great job making the cakes. The cakes impressed me with their appearance, their creativity, and their taste."
Dean Malkiel said: "The 'Dean’s Bake' competition was enormous fun for me – as it was for my celebrity judge husband! I was deeply impressed -- really overwhelmed -- by the imagination, skill, and artistry that went into those spectacular (and delicious) cakes. And the sheer theater of the whole event was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced here. The talent of the students; the expert support of staff from the bake shop; the narration of the impresarios (Stu Orefice and Chef Robert Harbison); the introduction of “celebrities” among the onlookers – the whole event could not have been more delightful. I cannot imagine a sweeter way of being celebrated, and I am hugely grateful to everyone who made the event so special."
The Judges (Burton Malkiel, Nancy Malkiel, Michael Yaroshefsky, and Heather Minnich) review one of the entries at the Display Table