Bonavolonta takes $2K cookie crown
Pumpkin party sells out on the same day Thundering up got more delicious
Sure, it was a soggy, chilly Sunday, but that didn’t stop Sunday afternoon from offering warm tidings at Twisted Tree Baking Company’s $2K Cookie Contest & Pumpkin Party and the Paycom Center for the Oklahoma City Thunder’s home opener.
Of course, only one of those two events was sold out. That’s right, pumpkin cookie fans gobbled up all the $2K Cookie Contest tickets and 200 pumpkin cookie fans crowded into Twisted Tree and the next-door annex where most of the festivities took place.
After Pumpkin Spice Lattes and apple cider from Evoke, the crowd journeyed through 16 varieties of pumpkin cookie provided by some of the state’s top bakers. Both the throng and an esteemed panel of judges rated the cookies.
Judges panel included Cassie Joslin of Twisted Tree, Alyssa Ulrich of The Harvey Bakery, John McBryde of Prairie Thunder Baking Company, Laura Szyld of Ganache Patisserie, and Rudy Khouri of La Baguette Bakery. That group chose it’s top three for the main portion of the $2,000 purse. Guests voted for their favorite for the remaining $250.
When the last cookie was crumbled, Nicole Bonavolonta of Six-Thirty Sweets took home top prize with her gorgeous Sage the Date Pumpkin Cookie.
“I tried 7 different pumpkin cookies before settling on this one, which happened to be my last attempt,” she said after her crowning achievement.
Judges awarded second place to Mitchell Dunzy of Heritage Grains Baking Co., and third place to Kristin Hock-Martinez of Flour & Fennel. The throng of roughly 200 in attendance tasted things differently. There wasn’t a runaway winner for Audience Favorite, but when final votes were counted chef Emme Reynolds of The Harvey Bakery had the most, earning her $250.
Asked how she held off such stiff competition, Bonavolonta said, “I roasted canned pumpkin in the oven to give it some flavor and reduce the moisture and toasted the walnuts. I then browned the butter and added some fresh, torn sage leaves to it while it was still hot.”
Bonavolonta said she also squeezed orange juice in the batter and used pumpkin pie spice from Savory Spice. Cream cheese chips also gave the cookie character.
“All of that plus some chopped dates, which gave me the opportunity to use the cheesy name that I’m still mildly embarrassed by.”
Bonavolonta admits there was a lot going in her cookie but admitted, “that’s kind of my brand.”
She said she likes chunky, Levain style cookies and weird combinations.
“I often play a game called ‘will it cookie’ where I find random things at the grocery store that I think might be an unexpected ingredient or try to recreate a loved desert in cookie form.”
Bonavolonta said the only pumpkin cookie she currently sells at Six30 Sweets is a pumpkin spice latte, but that’s about to change.
“We will for sure have to add Sage the Date now that it’s an award-winning flavor,” she said. “Look out for it next week!”
You can follow Nicole’s “Will it Cookie” adventures and cookie creations here.
Robert Black of Twisted Tree Baking Co. said he hopes this inaugural event will launch local bakers to the forefront of people’s attention and that the event will not only return next year, but spawn sister-events at other bakeries.
Unfortunately, the Thunder didn’t have Bonavolonta baking up a plan to defeat the defending champion Denver Nuggets in their home opener at the Paycom Center. The Thunder took a hard lesson from the defending champs but are still off to a nice 2-1 start thanks to a pair of road victories. Despite the defeat, expectations are high for the young Thunder. That means attendance will be up, placing pressure on chef Andrew Murin to make sure his team is ready to Thunder Up. He’ll have help from the Made in Oklahoma Coalition, which will have a featured hot dog. Speaking of hot dogs, the menu in the concourse this year will include a Cheetoh-Elote corn dog. Kinda sounds like a Korean corn dog. If something that’s exactly like Korean Fried Chicken sounds good, you’ll be happy to hear Cupbop joins the Paycom Arena this year.
As reported last week, Hospitality 84 opened its seventh location inside the Paycom Center serving Empire menu will have cheese and pepperoni slices plus a rotating slice of the day, garlic knots, and a chopped salad.
On Tuesday, the arena and chef Murin held a preview of what’s new to eat this season. Food Dood Feed reader Landis Tindell and Thunder staffer was kind enough to contribute these photos. Landis recommends the Cuban sandwich on the strength of its house-made pickles.
Events
Chefs Potluck: Nov. 6, 6 to 9 p.m. at The Joinery. Chef Chris McKenna will welcome 20 of his closest chef friends for a potluck to benefit Shred the Stigma. Each of The Joinery’s four floors will include tastings from the chefs plus activities and live music. Tickets are $50.
St. Elijah Food Fair, St. Elijah Antiochian Church: Nov. 10-11 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday.
MaderKitchen, Ma Der Lao Kitchen: Nov. 12 with seatings at 5:30 and 8 p.m. James Beard Award-nominated chef Jeff Chanchaleune welcomes three former “MasterChef” contestants to prepare a multicourse meal. Guest chefs include local favorite Gabriel Lewis, who is hosting Season 12 winner Dara Yu and two-time contestant Fred Chang for the event. Find tickets here.