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LOCAL BUZZ Get baked The Great Macon Baking Week and Central City Bake-off From July 23 to 29, Maconites could get sixteen stamps on their passports without ever leaving town – and get baked (goods) at every destination. VISIT MACON RECENTLY SPONSORED The Great Macon Baking Week, in which 16 local bakeries and restaurants competed for the title of Macon's Star Baker. Nearly 200 participants voted on their favorite treat using stamped passports to show where they'd sampled the sweets. On July 30, the top three businesses moved to the final round: The Central City Bake Off at Mill Hill Community Arts Center. The first-place award, which crowned the inaugural Macon's Star Baker, went to Layers for their signature White Velvet Cake. Layers is a new bakery which opened this year on Vineville Avenue in midtown Macon. The Mini Cheesecakes Trio – Spumoni, Peach Cobbler, and Bourbon Caramel – from Loom, the ground-floor restaurant affiliated with Hotel 45, took second. Third place was awarded to Dawson's Kitchen, a Payne City soul food institution since 1996, for their Wedding Cookies. Anna Richards, marketing and creative manager for Visit Macon, commented, "It has been a great Macon Baking Week. We are so happy to see so many visitors and members of the community coming out to support our local businesses. Most sold out every day, some within White Velvet Cake by Layers, crowned the first-place award, Macon's Star Baker 20 minutes! So far we have received 62 passports from people who tried five or more items. Eight of those have been people who visited all 16 restaurants." Those who turned in a passport received a free t-shirt with a cheeky slogan, "Get Baked." The Central City Bake-Off also had a cottage and amateur baker category, open to community members. Dustin Gaddis won first place with his Six Day Sourdough Bread with sundried tomatoes and Manchego cheese. Runner-up was Timothy Hamrah, whose Chocolate and Black Cherry Amaretto Cake is a favorite among those who follow Enchanted Bakes by Timothy. "It was really a treat being able to support these talented bakers and give them a chance to showcase their skills," said Bo Walker, project director at Macon Arts Alliance. Steven Collins, who owns Layers with his wife, Reia, enthused, "Overall, our business tripled during the week! Our customers were eager to participate, and it created a community atmosphere. Instead of just visiting a bakery, they were participating in a project, a quest to determine just what Macon restaurants had to offer!" A quest with dessert at every turn? Sounds like the perfect excuse to try a new local bakery or restaurant. You don't even have to wait until next The Great Macon Baking Week in 2024. The quest is there, awaiting your sweet tooth, year-round. — SIERRA STARK STEVENS 32 maconmagazine.com | AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2023