FOOD & Drink
Ever watched shows like The Great British Baking Show and Cake Wars and wished you could enjoy the competition IRL, and then eat all the delicious cakes and desserts afterwards?
Well, that’s exactly what guests can do at Dessert Wars – an American dessert festival celebrating everything from cakes and cookies to gourmet doughnuts, artisanal chocolates, and other creations from across the world.
Currently hosted in eight US cities, Dessert Wars sees local professional pastry chefs, bakers, and dessert enthusiasts competing in timed and themed challenges. The ultimate prize is the Best Dessert. Ticket holders can then tuck into the scrumptious treats produced, as there are no extra charges for desserts once inside.
“I love seeing everything come together,” founder Brad Matthews says. “We receive over 1,000 applications in each city to participate and it is our job to narrow it down to the top 50 to compete.”
Brad explains that Dessert Wars isn’t just about the sugar rush – he’s passionate about giving dessert creators a “platform to showcase their baking talents and compete, but also expand their business locally”.
The impact of this is clear. “A fan sent us a DM saying they drove 48 miles the next day just to buy the ice cream from a vendor they discovered at our event,” he recalls.
His proudest moment was their first National Championship event – which saw the Top 48 creators from various local events compete under one roof – and is now set on expanding Dessert Wars to other “under the radar” cities to find more phenomenal bakers.
For Brad, that really will be the icing on the cake.
