To heighten the mood of Valentine’s Day and excitement before winter break, the annual Cupcake Wars was held on Friday, Feb. 14 in the cafeteria during period 10 and after school. Organized by the Culinary Arts Club, tables of cupcake displays actively advertised by their bakers captivated the attention of those who exited through the cafeteria. Not only did active club members contribute to this sweet tradition, but all students were encouraged to participate in baking cupcakes for community service hours. Students were also encouraged to purchase cupcakes, as the money raised went towards fighting hunger.
Family Consumer Science teacher and Culinary Arts Club advisor Lauren Reganato is the organizer of this annual tradition. Through this event, she brings the reality television show Cupcake Wars to LHS for a cause. “[The cause] used to show up on Food Network all the time. It was a company called No Kid Hungry, and they had a bunch of little organizations, one of them being the Great American Bake Sale. When I first saw the Great American Bake Sale, the show Cupcake Wars was really popular. We got local businesses to donate for first prize, and this year Union Bagel was our main participant,” Reganato explained. This year, each cupcake was sold for one dollar. The money raised was sent to No Kid Hungry, a non-profit organization that is “working to solve problems of hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world,” according to its website (www.nokidhungry.org). The primary focus of the organization is to end childhood hunger, and to ensure that each child gets the needed three meals per day. According to the No Kid Hungry website, “Every dollar raised can connect a child with 10 meals.”
Students are allowed to use a boxed mix for the cupcakes and decorate them according to the year’s theme. This year’s theme was simply “Valentine’s Day,” with hearts, pinks, and swirls being seen on the top of many cupcakes. According to Regana, the event was a success again this year, and there was a “great turnout.” Despite the typical month-long planning period being shortened to only two weeks this year, bakers still worked to perfect their cupcakes; not only for the fundraiser, but for the competition that followed. Students who wished to participate in the competition aspect of the fundraiser were required to make everything from scratch; from the batter to the frosting, everything had to be completely homemade.
Initially volunteering to fulfill the judging role, science teacher Kevin Tranchina has become the official judge of the competition. “When judging, I’m looking for texture, overall flavor, icing as apart from the cake, and just the whole appearance of it. This year, some of [the cupcakes] were really impressive looking, and some of them that weren’t in the contest were also really impressive looking,” Tranchina said.
Sophomore Isabella Viana participated to help support the charity and to demonstrate her love for baking. “I’ve always liked baking, and my mom introduced me to baking when I was really young. I always remember baking with her, and I have very happy memories doing that. So now I do it with my friends. We’re doing this for community service, we’re raising money for charity, and I get to do one of my favorite things with all my friends and have such a fun time. It really is the best thing,” said Viana.
