Hands On Atlanta blew out the candles at a grand
20-year celebration on June 19th at their 20th
Birthday Bash and Great Atlanta CakeOff. The party
started early in the day as more than 100 spectators
showed up to watch pros from Apple Butter Bakery,
The Cake Closet, Edible Greetings, Lynlee Cakes and
The Ritz Carlton-Buckhead compete to win the title
of best decorated cake in the Great Atlanta Cake
Off. The atmosphere was full of excitement (and good
smells) as viewers of all ages watched the cakes
take shape and grow into spectacular creations based
on Hands On Atlanta’s mission of community service
and civic engagement.
 The
cakes were judged by Mary Moore (founder and CEO of
Cook’s Warehouse), Elizabeth Moore (president of
Green Olive Media) and area bloggers and food
experts Chris Arpante (melecotte.com),
Angie Dudley (bakerella.com),
and Tami Hardeman (runningwithtweezers.com).
Josh Russell (Highland Bakery) was the technical
consultant in the months leading up, as well as
day-of competition.
 As
the sun began to set, the evening moved into a
festive mode. Birthday Bash Patrons enjoyed a
private wine tasting party provided by United
Distributors, and as the rest of the party guests
arrived they were greeted with cotton candy
cocktails, soft piano music, a live artist
exhibition and spectacular auction packages.
 To
celebrate Hands On Atlanta’s important work in the
community as well as raise much-needed funds, emcees
Jovita Moore and Caesar Mitchell did a wonderful job
auctioning off opportunities to fund various
services that Hands On Atlanta provides, such as
schoolroom supplies for tutors, field trips for
Discovery students and neighborhood improvements
like senior home repair and community vegetable
gardens. Guests really got into the spirit of giving
and raised almost $6,000 through this effort alone!
 To
wrap up the evening, all five cakes were transported
from the spectator room to the ballroom (which
including the challenge of going up a ramp).
Congratulations to Aisha Cheeks, owner of The Cake
Closet for winning Best in Show; Shellane Pickett,
owner of Apple Butter Bakery, for being named First
Runner-Up; and Kelli Taranto, a pastry chef at the
Ritz-Carlton Buckhead, for winning the Audience
Favorite Award.
This first-time event raised more than $35,000 to
support Hands On Atlanta’s year-round programming.
Special thanks to our wonderful event sponsors: UPS,
Alston & Bird, Georgia Natural Gas, LexisNexis and
Orange Business Solutions.
We would like to thank all of our Birthday Bash
volunteers and donors. This event would not have
been possible without your time and support. An
extra special thanks goes out to our planning
committee members: Ray Harbour, Lavon Lacey, Holly
Rhodes, Tiffany Thompson and Vanessa Turner.
Click here to see a slideshow
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