By Marta Vallejo, Staff Writer  

On Tuesday, Oct. 13, Xavier hosted The Great Cincinnati Bake-Off at Cintas, bringing together baking enthusiasts of all different ages and experience levels for an evening of creativity, friendly competition and sweet treats.  

The event featured sponsors such as Hershey’s, Oreo and Ghirardelli. General admission of forty dollars granted guests unlimited samples of desserts from over 20 stations, a drink ticket and a box courtesy of The BonBonerie to put sweet treats in as they walked around the event.  

The evening began with a cake-decorating competition featuring two groups of children, who decorated their cakes as the audience cheered them on.  

Afterward, four contestants, Jackie Hitchens, Candace, Katie and Jacqueline, competed in the adult baking competition. They were challenged to create a custom s’mores-themed dessert using Duncan Hines Dolly Parton cake mix and Hershey’s products. Judges evaluated the entries based on taste and design.  

Contestant Hitchens made s’more tartlets with a chocolate graham crust, Hershey’s milk chocolate ganache and Swiss meringue on top.  

“The challenge was not knowing what the other folks are doing, right? So, is it enough? And is it all going to come together at the very end when you’re nervous and all of that? But I practiced a lot, and it was really a fun, fun day,” Hitchens said.  

Hitchens won the Top Design category, while Candace took home the Top Taste award.  

“I put a lot of work into it. This is probably my sixth iteration in practicing, so I’m really glad it all came together. I love baking. It’s something I did with my mom, and I now do with my son, and it’s something that we can do together, and I just feel like baked things make a lot of people happy. So, it’s a nice thing to do,” Hitchens said.  

Alongside the live baking and decorating competitions, the event recognized amateur and professional bakers through its Golden Rolling Pin awards. Judges evaluated entries across five categories: pie, cookies and brownies, artisan bread, cheesecake and cake decorating. Winners were announced during the evening’s awards ceremony.  

Behind the entries were contestants with different experiences, motivations and connections to baking, from longtime bakers looking to test their skills to those eager to try something new.  

For Jacqueline Cox, winner of the pie category for the amateur division, it meant crossing an item off her bucket list.  

“For me baking means love. Family. Everyone that knows me knows that I give baking goods for gifts, and that’s just my way of showing love. I bake and then I give it away; I don’t keep it for myself. So, winning means a lot to me. It feels amazing. I feel like I did it,” Cox said.  

The competition also brought Xavier students into the mix, including Benjamin Wernke, a master’s student in accounting, who won the cheesecake category for the amateur division.  

“I bake a lot and I saw this on Instagram and thought it would be a fun opportunity, and I saw it was right here at school. I love eating food. I like getting to share that with other people. I think that’s the value of it, you know, getting to share,” Wernke said.