“Tonight there are no limits, no guilt and certainly no diet police,” says event co-chair Matthew Robb, who greets me decked out in his finest 20s-era threads. “Proceeds benefit the Frederick Festival of the Arts, so you can indulge, knowing it's for a good cause."
Right by the door, and next to the bar where volunteers are serving up slow gin fizz in mason jars, is Hagerstown’s LJs and the Kat Lounge, the first of 11 vendors who have prepared two desserts for this event. They’ve embraced the theme fully, dressed in 20s attire, offering homemade bubblegum cigars and butter cream candy cigarettes. Their featured dessert is a fun twist on coffee and grasshopper pie – a chocolate truffle, followed by an eye dropper full of mint liqueur, chased by coffee-flavored cream.
The finish is fantastic.
I circulate through the room, sampling dessert after dessert, and enjoying the jazz band and silent movie. I’m pretty sure I’ve ruined dinner by eating dessert first but I don’t care. I’m fully indulging my sweet tooth tonight.
I’m also excited to see Father Leo Patalinghug, the author and host of Grace Before Meals. I saw Father Leo compete against Bobby Flay on the Food Network show Throw Down. He’s just as entertaining and engaging in person. He’s prepared a mouse that sounds a little strange but tastes heavenly.
I resist the urge to lick the cup clean.
As the evening winds down, we’re all waiting to learn which dessert reigned supreme. Matthew Robb takes the mic to announce the people’s choice winners. LJ’s takes third place. Buddha’s Baker – one of the few desserts I did not sample – takes second. And Canapes Catering takes home the gold, winning first place. And I concur. Their Bananas Foster was the talk of the night.
What’s your favorite dessert?
The Frederick Festival of the Arts is a juried fine arts and crafts festival sponsored by the Frederick Arts Council. This free event is held the first weekend in June along Carroll Creek in historic downtown Frederick. For more information, visit www.FrederickArtsCouncil.org. And visit our Facebook page for more photos from An Evening of Decadent Desserts, held January 29, 2012.
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