MARGIE TRAX PAGE
CONNEAUT - - Eric van't Veer sighed as he lifted yet another morsel of cheesecake to his lips.
Tasting every cheesecake entry in the Conneaut Community Center for the Arts Bake-off Sunday afternoon was a task Eric van't Veer took to heart, especially because his mother, Elizabeth van't Veer, was a contender.
"We came out to support Mom, but we all know she can hold her own in baking," he said.
The bake-off gave area cheesecake makers and lovers a chance to revel in the creamy, sweet pastry for the afternoon. With 14 amateur entries and one professional entry in both plain and gourmet categories, the bake-off was all about the desserts, Conneaut Community Center for the Arts executive director Penny Armeni said.
"This is an arts center and cooking and baking is an art. This is an opportunity to be creative and earn some bragging rites," Armeni said. "There are some wonderfully creative cheesecakes here today," she said.
Judges Conneaut resident John Howland, State Rep. George Distel, Orlando Brother's Golden Dawn baker Pat Maki and Courier editor Martha Sorohan judged the event, which was sponsored by Orlando Brother's Golden Dawn and Biscotti's Restaurant.
Cheesecake servers Bonnie Watts, Diana Chike and Gloria Badgley had fun serving the sweets, but didn't get the chance to taste the goods until after the competition.
"You can call us 'The Cut-Ups,'" Watts said.
"We didn't even lick our fingers, we promise," Chike said.
The servers boxed up the leftovers and sold them in take-home boxes to benefit the community center.
Elizabeth van't Veer came to the contest well-prepared.
"I baked about eight cheesecakes and had my children vote on which one to bring (to the contest). My double chocolate orange cake was the winner," she said.
Elizabeth van't Veer, who has almost 2,000 cookbooks in her kitchen, took home a second-place ribbon for her efforts, proving her son's tasting efforts weren't in vain.
"There are a lot great cheesecakes here, but it just so happens my mom made the one I like best, Eric van't Veer said.
The uncontested cheesecake champion was Madelon Distelrath of Conneaut, who won People's Choice, Grand Overall Champion, Creative Presentation and first place for her gourmet Amaretto Peach Cheesecake.
"I am just so excited. This is wonderful," Distelrath said. "This is just a plain cheesecake recipe that I worked on and made up," she said.
Distelrath makes the cheesecake for family gatherings and events and is happy to have the bragging rites to go with the recipe.
