Photos by Chloe Brooks
The Hyatt Regency Phoenix and Copper Square Kitchen hosted their inaugural Dessert Recipe Competition Wednesday at the Compass Arizona Grill.
The competition included three recipes by four local chefs. The desserts were judged by a six-person panel: Lara McClure from Desert Botanical Garden, Urban Cookies and OllieCake owner Brady Breese, Yelp Phoenix Community Manager Lindsey Fosse, Hyatt Regency Phoenix’s Executive Chef Dominic Vaccaro and pastry chefs Ella and Neil Levinson from Classic Cakes and Confections.
A month-long search preceded this event, during which Arizonans were asked to submit recipes to the organizers. Recipes had to meet four requirements: they must be local, feature chocolate, be original and couldn’t be a winner of any previous contests.
“I’m glad there were only three to choose from,” Breese said. “It makes it both easier and harder in a way — easier because you have a smaller number to choose from, but harder because you have to choose just one.”
The first place prize was awarded to Caroline Van Slyke’s Oaxacan chocolate pear tart, which features Mexican chocolate and a pear marmalade.
“I’m not really a chocolate baker. I’m more of a fruit baker, so I wanted to use a recipe that incorporated fruit somehow,” said Van Slyke, the owner of Boho Farm and Home.
The second place recipe was a chocolate chili brownie and third was a chocolate bacon baklava.
“We were looking at if you could taste every flavor they described all together,” Breese said. “That and whether we would want to eat it as a dessert.”
As winner of the contest, Van Slyke’s tart will be featured on the Compass Arizona Grill’s February menu as well as on its special Valentine’s Day menu.
“We think it’s great to have local chefs featured on our menu,” said Hyatt Food and Beverage Director Paul Resch. “It’s a great addition to be able to add that ambiance, and it’s a great showcase for the community.”
Contact the reporter at chloe.brooks@asu.edu
