The Second Annual Waterloo Cake Walk could not have happened on a better day. Cake walkers were greeted with blue skies, warm weather, and, of course, a myriad of delicious desserts to choose from.
The event was structured through a series of walking paths that took participants through Uptown Waterloo to various restaurants, bakeries, and other food-related establishments, each of which offered a different dessert. The walk started at the Clay and Glass Museum on the corner of Erb and Caroline Street where Decadently Yours, a dessert caterer specializing in cupcakes, had set up a booth. After sampling two small but delectable cupcakes attendees could choose one of eight routes, each offering a slightly different mix of destinations. While there was certainly cake, other treats included pies, tea, pastries and cupcakes.
Walk 5 first directed me to Harmony Lunch, a family-owned diner famous for their pork burgers, where I was given a wafer cream pie they call “Flapper Pie.” From there the route took me to Relish Cooking Studio that, when it’s not servicing a community cake walk, holds both private and group cooking classes and sells gourmet ingredients, sauces, cookware, and accessories.
The two owners served the most interesting dessert I tried on my walk – lemon almond and polenta shortcake with macerated strawberries and homemade ricotta cheese – a dish that was entirely gluten free.
My next stop was David’s Tea, the only business on any of the walks that is not independently owned, where I received a delicious cup of red velvet tea. The final destination on my walk was Angie’s Kitchen, which was serving a wide assortment of pies. Being a huge fruit pie fan, I finished the walk with a blueberry pie that satisfied my cravings.
The Cake Walk started last year as a project for students Melissa May, Colleen Murphy, and Bobbie Oates, all of whom are in the event management graduate program at Conestoga College. The event was a success and they decided to do it again this year (plus, who doesn’t love an afternoon of delicious desserts?). On top of satisfying the sweet tooth of attendees, the event helps to provide publicity for the participating local businesses and all proceeds from ticket sales go to the HopeSpring Cancer Support Centre.
The combination of a good cause, beautiful weather and, of course, scrumptious treats drew 80 attendees, an improvement over the previous year’s number.
