Free And For Me

Ari and I are going to be in cookie heaven.  We have been looking forward to attending LA Cookie Con for some time now.  As our count down comes to an end, we are eating lean so we will not feel guilty when we sample all of the wonderful cookies at LA Cookie Con.

Thousands of professional bakers, sweets enthusiasts, bloggers and foodies have snapped up tickets for LA Cookie Con and Sweets Show, billed as the West Coast’s biggest pastry party.

“We’re so excited to have LA Cookie Con and Sweets Show choose the City of Pasadena for its launch,” said Mayor Bogaard. “We welcome the company and look forward to watching it grow year after year.”

The convention’s ribbon cutting ceremony will be presided over by Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard and Food Network star Ron Ben-Israel. Ben-Israel is one of the world’s most famous cake decorators and culinary personalities.

Along with notable contestants from popular culinary competitions such as Fox’s Masterchef, Masterchef Junior, TLC’s Cake Boss: Next Great Baker, Next Food Network Star and Food Network’s Cupcake Wars, the convention recently added four of YouTube’s most popular baking bloggers, or vloggers, to the lineup.

King Arthur Flour is sponsoring Bay Area Rachel Fong of Kawaii Sweet World, a 16 year-old baker whose videos feature “kawaii”, or cute, videos of festive sweets ranging from Hello Kitty cakes to emoticon cake pops. “Rachel represents a new generation of bakers and chefs who learn their craft online,” said organizer Nancy Tei, adding, “By bringing her to the show King Arthur is connecting with a whole new generation of enthusiasts and future professionals.”

Rachel is joined by Gemma Stafford of Bigger Bolder Baking, whose video featuring microwave-friendly mug cakes recently went viral and has racked up over 2 million hits; Anna O’Steen of Lovely Lady Cakes; and Lainey Liz of Simply Bakings.

Together, the show’s YouTube stars boast over 46 million views. They will appear onstage during a special YouTube Bakers Panel offering tips for aspiring Internet stars.

There are no tickets available at the door for this event. General Admission is $21 and VIP is $50. Tickets are all inclusive of samples, classes, demos, workshops, and celebrity appearances; spaces and quantities are limited for some offerings.