Meet All Of The Dessert Wars’ Contestants
We had a massive turn out for Channel 957′s first annual Dessert Wars! A dozen restaurants and bakeries went dessert to dessert in an epic battle for 2 awards, the People’s Choice and the Judge’s Choice!
Thank you to everyone who came out and helped us decided who had the best dessert in Grand Rapids! Thanks toPioneer Sugar and Mast Heating & Cooling for sponsoring the event! Thank you to the Amway Grand Plaza for hosting!
Dessert Wars 2013
All photos in the gallery above are courtesy of Tracey Warner Photography.
Now on to the contestants! Below you will find all of the restaurants and bakeries that participated and the dessert that they entered into the contest...
Chocolate Divine
- Chocolate cupcake filled with homemade chocolate ganache.
- Topped with a chocolate butter cream.
- Drizzled with chocolate sauce.
About Cupcakes by Design:
Jennifer Kok along with her husband Brian, have owned and operated Cookies by Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan for the past 12 years. Cookies by Design are known in West Michigan for providing a superior product with only the finest ingredients, exceptional talent, creativity and excellent customer service. We have taken these qualities and are now adding them to a new line, Cupcakes. Our cupcakes will be made with quality ingredients baked fresh daily and we will provide them to you with our sincere customer service. With over 30 gourmet cupcake flavors to choose from, whether you stop in to our shoppe located within Cookies by Design, or have them hand delivered as a beautiful gift, our guarantee to you is each cupcake is made with care!
Listen to an interview:
Cygnus 27 - 2nd Place Judge's Choice
Honey Goat Cheese Fromage Blanc
- Champagne jelly on top with a blueberry.
- Lie zest raspberry sauce and Lemon Cello.
- Tuile cookie.
About Cygnus 27:
High atop the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, Cygnus 27 transports you to a rhythmic environment among the stars. The trend-setting décor inspired by the Cygnus constellation, globally influenced American entrees, and captivating scenic views of the Grand Rapids skyline, promise an epic dining experience. Also available is our popular Sunday brunch mid-September through mid-May.
Listen to an interview:
4 Specialty Cupcakes
- Peanut Butter and Jelly.
- Chocolate Attack.
- Root Beer Float.
- Salted Caramel.
About Dreamscape Designs:
Dan and Julie Couturier are a husband and wife team who wanted to start a business to help take care of their family, but more importantly... to make sure that YOUR special day is absolutely perfect! Be it a Wedding, a Birthday, an Anniversary, or a Bridal or Baby Shower... you deserve the best! What better way to celebrate that special time in your life, than with some sweet goodness from an Award Winning Bakery?
They launched DreamScape Desserts in the Summer of 2010 after a lot of encouragement from their families and after having done a couple successful weddings that turned out spectacular. Not only did they realize this was fun and something they enjoyed doing together, but that they were good at it too!
Listen to an interview:
Apple Strietzel
- White cake with apple topping.
- Strietzel on top with caramel, chocolate, and whipped cream.
About FOODesign:
FOODesign by Chef Brech Catering is lead by our personal Chef Steve Brechting. We are made up of a team of professional chefs and servers with many years of experience.
FOODesign will do our best to make each event special for your occasion.
Browse our webite and feel free to check out our menus featuring our Chef's creations built from local produce. We will be happy to customize any menu to fit your event needs. We look forward to hearing from you!
About Grand Cakes:
Gourmet Bakery with a twist, Cafe is now OPEN, Salad Bar with build your own Sandwich, and self serve soup of the day. Cake pan rentals, candy making supplies, coffee, cakes, cookies and more..
Listen to an interview:
Turtle Cheesecake
- Caramel cheesecake batter.
- Topped with pecans, fudge, and caramel.
About Grand Rapids Cheesecake Company:
We are Grand Rapids best kept secret. We make our cheesecakes, wedding cakes, cupcakes, and specialty cakes from scratch with ingredients from local West Michigan suppliers. We offer 21 different flavors in four different sizes for cheesecakes. Weddings, corporate events, catering, birthday cakes and gourmet cupcakes made to order and custom designed.
West Michigan's premier source for fine cheesecakes and wedding & specialty cakes serving Grand Rapids and the lake shore. Stop by and see us soon. We have a deli cafe that's open for lunch daily. Contact us to schedule a taste testing, or place an order today.
Listen to an interview:
Apple Fritter
- Apple chunks, cherry chunks, and bakers nuts mixed into the doughnut dough.
About Marge's Donut Den:
For over 35 years Marge’s Donut Den has been making donuts and baked goods with the slogan “Quality Comes First”. Marge opened Marge’s Donut Den in 1975 and have since developed a loyal following who believe she makes the best baked goods anywhere.
Marge specializes in wedding cakes and corporate cakes, but she also has a large variety of delicious brownies, cookies, muffins, danishes and cupcakes. Marge is known to be very creative in her designs. Marge has always believed that when you make a quality product, people will come back for more.
Listen to an interview:
Mirabella Confections - 2nd Place People's Choice + 1st Place Judge's Choice
The Lotus Blossom
- Gum paste lotus flower.
- White chocolate dome filled with a caramel apple cake with a caramel cream.
- Ginger cookie with orange and a piece of chocolate with a ginger snap.
- Green tea with orange spice.
About MiraBella Confections:
MiraBella Confections originated from the passionate minds and hearts of Alexander Lovelorn and Kenneth Stephens. Both Ken and Alex were tired of working for other people. Ken has his Masters Degree in Social Work and practiced individual and group counseling. Alex worked as a manager for a big box store, and is currently working at Spectrum Health in the Emergency department.
Now, Ken is the confectionery artist and Alex the business manager and computer guru for MiraBella Confections. Ken's confectionery skills are self taught. Also, Ken and Alex both love working with chocolate. Alex loves making his luscious raspberry-filled dark chocolates and Ken enjoys creating wonderful truffles and chocolate displays. If you're lucky, once in a while you'll even catch Alex baking a pie or two. Alex also makes the absolute best soup you will ever eat!
Listen to an interview:
Paris Cafe & Desserts - 3rd Place People's Choice
4 Gourmet Cakes
- Strawberry Napoleon - Puff pastry with fresh strawberries inside topped with a Napoleon cream and icing.
- Coco Layers Cake - Hazelnut custard between the coco layers topped with chocolate.
- Wild Berry Cake - Vanilla cake with strawberry cream topped with jello and fresh berries.
- Baklava - Filo dough with walnuts and honey syrup.
About Paris Cafe & Desserts:
Serving Authentic European Desserts, Gourmet Coffee, Hot Crêpes, Soups, Panini Sandwiches, and more... We specialize in Custom Order Cakes for all your occasions! Proudly presenting the Art Gallery, showcasing the amazing work of artist Emir Alibasic. Complimentary Wi-Fi Available to our customers.
Neapolitan Cake
- Bottom layer - Brownie with Founder's Cerise soaked cherries.
- Middle layer - White chocolate pecan pie ganache with caramelized roasted pecans.
- Top layer - Cherry mouse.
About Rita Girl's Bakery:
Taking Sweets to the Streets. We are serving specialty treats and cakes in down town Grand Rapids in the Shops of MoDiv. Please come in and indulge in something special. We also take special orders for Cakes, Cupcakes, Brownies, or many more things that we create just for you.
Listen to an interview:
Second Floor Bakery - 1st Place People's Choice + 3rd Place Judge's Choice
Brownies and Pudding
- Double chocolate rich pudding with a dark chocolate co de creme.
- Shot of milk.
- Fresh raspberry and mango.
About Second Floor Bakery:
We started Second Floor Bakery because we love to bake! We love to make pastries, sweets and cakes. We love to get creative with cake designs and push the limit on what's possible!
At Second Floor Bakery we create desserts and cakes…from funky to formal.
Imagine a Dr. Suess like cake that looks like it’s toppling over and makes people laugh, or maybe formal is more your style, an elegant cake draped with flowers and silk that makes people do a sentimental sign.
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Chocolate Fondue
- Dipping chocolates - White chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate.
- Dipping foods - Rice Krispie Treats, red velvet pound cake, gram-cracker covered marshmallows, strawberries.
- Signatre chocolate dipped strawberries - Dipped in dark chocolate and drizzled with white chocolate.
About The Melting Pot:
Whether you’re celebrating a birthday, anniversary, a long overdue date night, or celebrating with a group, The Melting Pot Restaurant is perfect for any occasion. Tailor your visit with a four-course dining experience including cheese fondue, salad, entree and dessert. Or, come by for fondue cheese paired with that perfect glass of wine from our extensive selection. That's not to say, we haven't had more than a few stop by to satisfy that chocolate craving after a movie.
Listen to an interview:
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