Phoenix’s hottest event is a bake sale. Here’s how to snag a spot

When Stoop Kid pastry chef Audrey D’Amore saw photos of fields filled with colorful frosting at San Francisco’s Cake Picnics, she was enamored. 

“It was started by a local baker there named Elisa Sunga, who had this idea to do basically a city-wide bake sale. It was open to the general public, and your admission to the event was a cake,” D’Amore explains.

D’Amore wanted to bring something similar to Phoenix, with the added element of raising money for charity. When she pitched the idea to Stoop Kid owner Steve McMillen, he was immediately onboard. 

“As Stoop Kid’s pastry chef, we’ve always wanted to see Aud flex a little bit. She’s so talented, and while she does our cookies and rotating seasonal desserts, we know that, like any chef, you can get a little bored of the normal routine. So this event allows everyone to stretch our creative muscles a little bit,” McMillen explains. 

Since its December debut, the Bake N Take series has become an instant success.

On April 19, Stoop Kid will host the third installment of the event at a downtown warehouse off of Jackson and 11th streets in central Phoenix. 

The sure-to-sell-out bake sale has turned into a who’s who of pastry revelry where top Phoenix chefs and bakers turn up, show out, and give back to the community. Customers can join in the fun and take home a dozen tasty treats of their choice.

A bake sale on the rise

After getting the green light from McMillen, D’Amore began reaching out to potential contributors and gauging industry interest. To her delight, it seemed that almost everyone she contacted was willing to contribute. 

“Honestly, it was surprising. I feel like Steve and I know a lot of people, but just because we work in the industry, we don’t see everybody face-to-face that often. So I just started sending cold DMs on Instagram explaining my idea and asking if they were interested,” D’Amore says. 

Billed as a “pastry garage sale” to benefit the United Food Bank, the initial Bake N Take took place on Dec. 7. It featured 28 chefs and bakers, including Crystal Kass, The Dinersaur, Voyager Bake Shop, Suss Pastries, and many more. For $30, Bake N Take attendees got 12 treats of their choice, along with coffee and a raffle ticket. 

The coupling of a good cause and a stellar roster of talent made the first Bake N Take an almost instant sellout. The unexpected takeaway from those who contributed their time and talents was a prevailing sense of camaraderie.

Local chef Reece Robbins, who operates Cuppy’s Handcuts, a donut pop-up, collaborated with “Chopped” champion Devan Cunningham to make sweet potato empanadas. 

“We basically volunteer for it, so it’s us putting it out there for the community to help others, but in the process, we’re also able to come together in the same place at the same time and try each other’s food. It’s very much like, ‘Oh, I know that person from Instagram!’” Robbins says. “Because of our hectic schedules, there’s just never really been a proper time for us to all hang out and talk shop.”

Robbins says the event also shines a much-needed spotlight on pastry chefs, who are an often-overlooked aspect of the Phoenix culinary scene. 

“There’s a whole other realm of food, different types of chefs, specifically bakers, that are doing really amazing stuff out here in the Valley,” he says. 

Another vendor, Andres Cano of Doughvine Bread, sees the Bake N Take as an opportunity for chefs and bakers to not just meet, but collaborate. Cano connected with D’Amore through mutual friends and offered sourdough cookies for the second Bake N Take. After chatting in person, the two decided to collaborate on a future Stoop Kid project that needed a sourdough component.

“There’s nothing like bringing our community together through food, and it’s an event that allows us to create baked goods to hit all palates, whether it’s sweet, savory, or somewhere in between,” Cano says.

According to D’Amore and McMillen, this idea of creating a third space for chefs and bakers to come together was as much an impetus for the event as generating donations for charities. 

“People in Phoenix are leaning into the local experiences more when it comes to eating out, and so if we want to push more folks to us, we have to grow the scene together,” McMillen says. 

Due to the overwhelmingly positive response from both customers and volunteers, Bake N Take has turned into an ongoing event. But at first, its organizers weren’t sure it would be a hit.

“We know we were asking a lot of the chefs and bakers,” McMillen says, explaining that they went back and forth on asking bakers to provide treats for free. 

“We really debated doing a second one because would anyone even want to do it again?” McMillen pondered. “And then everyone came back out, and then there were even more folks wanting to be involved.”

The second, larger Bake N Take took place on Valentine’s Day, with 40 bakers and 110 tickets that quickly sold out. Now, a third, even larger Bake N Take is lined up for later this month, with 54 vendors set to share their take on a “4/20 inspired” theme. 

For the third outing, expect a jam-packed list of talent including Crystal Kass, Lawrence “LT” Smith, Charleen Badman, Ashley Moore, Devan Cunningham, Suss Pastries, Kave Bakery, Bagelero, Dinersaur, Snackbar, Requinto, Hungry Homie and Crumb Slut.

Bake N Take gets bigger – and higher

Unlike the first two events, the April Bake N Take will be held in the evening.

For $35, Bake N Takers will get the opportunity to get into the weeds, so to speak, with “inspired” but unmedicated munchies that lean into late-night savory and sweet cravings. 

Tempe-based cannabis company Sonoran Roots will provide THC-infused samples, and DJ Panic will keep the vibes up until the last treats are boxed up. All proceeds are going to Puente Human Rights Movement. 

In addition, patrons can get hand-drawn portraits from Faux-To Booth to commemorate the event. Due to demand, organizers suggest snagging tickets soon from the Stoop Kid website and arriving early on Sunday. 

The warehouse doors will open at 5 p.m. for Bake-N-Takers to procure a dozen treats of their choice. The last crumbs will be spoken for by 8 p.m., with food, drinks and vibes continuing until 9 p.m. 

“This one is going to be way bigger. We’re doing it in the evening, and it’s going to have more of a block party feel to it, for the holiday,” McMillen says. 

To celebrate the occasion, the acclaimed culinary contributors are leaning into the theme. Cunningham plans to make a “hojicha haze pre-roll.”

“Essentially, I’m turning those cylindrical sweet wafers into a blunt,” the chef says, explaining that the wafer will feature the flavors of the roasted Japanese green tea, filled with a green matcha cream and rolled in pistachio “keef.”

“I want it to look like one of those extra potent blunts, and play on the flavors and essence of weed,” Cunningham says. 

Reece Robbins of Cuppy’s Handcuts is also going all in for 4/20, albeit on the other end of the rotation. 

“I’m really into the idea of munchies, and my favorite is peanut butter banana shakes, so I am doing peanut butter chocolate banana donuts,” he says. “It’s savory, sweet, the perfect combination.”

For Ryan Moreno of Hungry Homie, the event gives him the opportunity to showcase some talents that Phoenix foodies might not have experienced in his past endeavors. 

“For me, Bake N Take is a great way to get us out of our wheelhouse. Most people know me for Snapback Pizza, so it’s rad that I get to do something different,” the chef says. “For this one, I’m going straight guilty pleasure with ube cinnamon rolls. There’s nothing I love more than being stoned and jumping into a warm, tasty treat, and an ube and cinnamon roll smashed together is going to be super tasty.”

Attendees can expect plenty more creative goodies to satisfy whatever cravings come their way, such as a Mole Oreo with pink pepper white chocolate ganache from Chilte’s Lawrence “LT” Smith, Coco Puff black forest cake bars from Nicholas Hyche, a smoky Buñuelo de Viento from Crystal Kass and Grand Daddy Purp-inspired cupcakes with lavender, lemon and pistachio from Dos Chris’ Bakery and Charcuterie.

D’Amore herself plans to contribute two bakes for the occasion: a circus animal milk n’ cookies treat with white chocolate, toasted milk powder and sprinkles, and a caramel apple and cheddar puff pastry hand pie to entice the sweet and savory stoners. 

As demand grows, D’Amore and McMillen are excited to keep what was originally a one-off event rolling.

“From the interest from both the public and the bakers, is more than we ever expected,” McMillen says. 

Stoop Kid Presents: Bake N Take

5-9 p.m., Sunday, April 19
1005 E. Madison St.