File under "Best Thing, Possibly Ever": The Cake Committee.
I know, I know. You love it already. But what is it, exactly?
Per Charlotte Druckman in the T Magazine in the NY Times, it all began when
Last summer, Peter Ting, a London-based ceramist, gathered friends (mostly artists or design-world recruits), all of whom had one thing in common: a love of baking. The group began hosting Thames-side teas for which each member would whip-up a “little” something. Invited guests would be asked to pay a relatively minor cover charge, which granted them unlimited access to the parade of desserts. The “caterers” would pocket none of the proceeds to cover their baking costs. Instead, 100 percent of the funds went to whichever local charity the Cake Committee deemed fit for the occasion. As silly and quirky as the enterprise sounds, these sweet salons draw a swank bunch, and are known to raise about $1,500 each. One year in, the Committee has satellites across the world, from Maine to Singapore and, as of Thursday night, New York City.
Although organizers referred to the event as a "helping-hands, at-home operation" nonetheless, the New York chapter didn't feature traditional homespun bakesale fare, opting instead for luscious cuatro leches cakes, nut-filled Italian wedding cake, and strawberry coconut cake.
When all was said and done, the $20-entry for all you can eat dessert ended up making over $1400 for sweet causes, and will be split between the Friends of the French Culinary Institute, which raises money for need-based scholarships to the FCI, and The Center, a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community organization in the West Village.
Of course, altruism aside, the author ultimately concludes that it's a sweet deal for attendees too:
On the way out, over-indulgers smirked guiltily while the weary bakers were already talking about which cakes they’d bring to the committee’s next meeting, in September. After all, Schwan mused, “What is life but happiness, cake and love? After a night of cake, you wake up and realize, irony is very passé.”
All of which begs the question: when are you going to start your own chapter? Here's to making the world a sweeter place.
For the full article, visit the T Magazine page.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010 
Guess what? There's a new weekly outdoor festival called Seattle Square coming to Pioneer Square, starting this Saturday, June 17th, and continuing through the summer. This is totally sweet for a few reasons. First, it's an incentive to go down to Pioneer Square at a non-artwalk time, now that Elliott Bay has moved up to Capitol Hill (probably to be closer to my shop).
