Food Bloggers Cook Up a Bigger Bake Sale

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"People are definitely attracted by the names," organizer Jenny Miller (Rainy Day Gal) says. "Molly Wizenberg (Orangette), I think she's bringing a chocolate-dipped almond shortbread, and I'm sure that will fly off the tables."

Miller says curiosity about bloggers' baking skills isn't confined to the non-blogging crowd. "It's funny, because bloggers are always interested in what other bloggers are making," she says, citing the peer group popularity of chorizo caramels that Scott Heimendinger (Seattle Food Geek) contributed last year. But Miller insists bloggers aren't keen to discover whether their colleagues' cookies and cakes are as good as they look on their blogs.

"I think the food community is very welcoming," she says. "Everyone's there with a great attitude; it's not a snobby sort of thing. We're all there for a great cause."

Miller and Jenny Richards (Purple House Dirt) created the event last year after Miller was struck by the sight of a mother begging on a Seattle street corner. At the first edition of Will Bake For Food, 60 participating bloggers raised nearly $1000. This year, organizers hope to collect twice that amount.

"Last year was sort of a test run," Miller says. "This year, we can ask people to bake more because we can gauge how many people will be there."

Saturday's sale at University Heights Center, next to the U-District Farmers' Market, starts at 11 a.m. It officially ends at 2 p.m., but bloggers last year sold out in 90 minutes.

Miller isn't baking this year - "I have two small children," she says - but Richards is preparing bacon chive biscuits. "They'll be delicious," Miller promises.

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