Three First Place Winners Win Two-Night Stay in the Region, Complete with Lodging, Activities and Dining Options. (Coos Bay, Oregon – August 11, 2022) – The Coos Bay-North Bend-Charleston Visitor & Convention Bureau, also known as Oregon’s Adventure Coast: Coos Bay, North Bend, Charleston, is pleased to announced the winners of the first-ever “Claw-some” Crab Cake Bake-Off, a cake baking competition. The organization invited amateur and professional bakers to bake and decorate a crab-inspired cake for a chance to win a complimentary two-night stay in the region, complete with lodging, activities and dining options. Bakers were asked to craft a Dungeness crab-themed cake and document the process and the finished product. Dungeness crabs have a long historical significance with Oregon’s fishing industry and is the current symbol of Oregon’s Adventure Coast: Coos Bay, North Bend, Charleston “This is our first time organizing and overseeing a cake baking competition, so we were not sure how successful this would be,” says Coos Bay-North Bend-Charleston Visitor and Convention Bureau Executive Director, Janice Langlinais. “Turns out, the response was incredible. We could not believe how many wonderful and creative cake submissions we received! Choosing the winners of each category was not an easy task.” “We were excited to see bakers from all over the U.S. enter the contest,” said Langlinais. “Bakers hailed from Oregon, of course, but also Virginia, Nevada, New Mexico, California, and Washington!” A panel of six judges scored each submission by its creativity, ability to incorporate the theme, crab imagery and coastal style, before selecting the winners in the three categories: Professional, Amatuer Adults, and Amatuer Kids. The winning bakers and the names of their crustacean creations are as follows: Professional Bakers Category – 1st Place Winner: Amy Bennette – What the Crab?! 2nd Place Winner: Sasha Sterner – Invasion of the crabs; 3rd Place Winner: Kaitlyn Barnette – Long Time, No Sea. Amateur Category (Adult) – 1st Place Winner: Stacey Tigner-Loy – The Crab Feed Cake; 2nd Place Winner: Jamie Butcher – Tide Pool Explorers; 3rd Place Winner: Lisa Newlands – The Old Crab and the Sea. Amateur Category (Kids) – 1st Place Winner: Catherine Reynolds – Seaside Beach; 2nd Place Winner: Alyssa Guido – “C is for Crab”; 3rd Place Winner: Daniel Vermilyea – The Boating. Amy Bennette, the first-place winner of the Professional Category, says ‘What the Crab?!’ was her quirky interpretation of a crab-themed cake, where a wizened old octopus realizes the Dungeness crab he planned to eat has escaped him. Stacey Tigner-Loy, who placed first in the Amateur Adult category, shared her experiences that inspired her cake. “I’m originally from Eugene, and since I can remember, I would go crabbing with my grandparents up and down the Oregon Coast,” says Tigner-Loy. “I’ve had crab from all over, and you still can’t beat the Dungeness, and this is the best way to enjoy them and what inspired my cake.” Those who placed second and third in each category received a goodie basket of Oregon’s Adventure Coast products. Langlinais says the response was so positive, she’s confident the Claw-Some Crab Cake Bake-Off will be back and even better next year and encouraged bakers of all skill levels to follow Oregon’s Adventure Coast blog and social media channels for future announcements.
