Amy ScattergoodIf you've ever baked a plate of cookies for your kid to take to her school bake sale, you know the drill. But imagine a giant bake sale put on not by a bunch of harried parents with questionable baking skills but by some of the best pastry chefs in town, bringing their awesome products for all of us to buy for an excellent cause. This is the second annual Bakers Will Bake sale, and it's returning on April 13 to the Hollywood Farmers Market.
Pastry chefs from more than 20 local bakeries and restaurants will bring their baked goods with the aim of raising money to benefit the Garden School Foundation, a local organization that focuses on developing garden-based programs at underserved schools throughout Los Angeles. Roxana Jullapat of Cooks County had the idea for a big bake sale last year while volunteering with the Edible Schoolyard at Larchmont Charter School.
(And no, these L.A. bakers are not to be confused with Miley Cyrus' dancers, who, no joke, call themselves the L.A. Bakers. Maybe they can buy some cookies.)
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Magic bars; Credit: Cake Monkey
Last year, with the help of many of Jullapat's fellow bakers and pastry chefs, Bakers Will Bake raised more than $3,000, which went to purchase a stainless-steel prep sink and a refrigerator for Larchmont Charter School's gardening and cooking classes. This year the pastry chefs are aiming higher, hoping to double their proceeds by offering both sweet and savory goods from even more bakers.
So who's coming this year? Shannon Swindle (Craft L.A.), Christine Moore (Little Flower Candy Co.), Clemence Gosset (Gourmandise School), Zoe Nathan (Huckleberry, Rustic Canyon), Mariah Swan (BLD), Zack Hall (Clark Street Bread), Na Young Ma (Proof Bakery), Sarah Lange (The Hart and the Hunter), Kei Okumura (Sugarbird Sweets), Meadow Ramsey (Sqirl), Annie Miler (Clementine), David Rodriguez (Providence, Connie and Ted's), Elizabeth Belkind (Cake Monkey Bakery), Max Lesser (Morning Glory Confections), Melissa Cortina (Pig and Pastry), Rose Lawrence (Red Bread), Michelle Park (Akasha), Ann Kirk (Little Dom's), Barbara Monderine (Village Bakery), Joann Yan (Cube Marketplace), Valerie Gordon (Valerie Confections), Jonathan Grahm (Compartes Chocolates), Tara Maxey (Heirloom L.A.) and Sherry Yard (Helms Bakery).
Of that pretty astonishing list, the bakers who will not only be donating their baked goods but will be on hand personally at the sale include Swindle, Yard, Ma, Lawrence, Cortina, Hall, Moore, Nathan and, of course, Jullapat herself.
“These folks have such demanding jobs,” Jullapat emailed us this morning. “The fact that they're willing to wake up at the crack of dawn that morning to bake and hang out among peers, to raise money so kids may eat better and get to know their food, is so overwhelmingly touching. I'm honored to call this group of people my colleagues and friends.”
If you aren't familiar with many of those names, you should be. And if you consider the expertise, cookbook accolades and a few James Beard Awards that they come trailing, you might get a market basket and bring your kids (if you have them) and head out to Hollywood for the best bake sale you're likely to find in a very long time. Or at least until Jullapat does this again next year.
The Bakers Will Bake Sale will run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 13, regardless of weather. The booth will be located at Selma and Ivar, and 100% of the proceeds will be donated. For updates and to see what all these talented pastry chefs are baking, follow Bakers Will Bake on Facebook, Twitter and, of course, Instagram. (A reminder that if you're getting really hungry, many of those bakeries and restaurants probably are open right now.)
Strawberry heart tarts; Credit: Cooks County
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