ECC Culinary Arts students face Harper once again in cupcake competition

Liz Esposito and duo Sarah Connelly and Matt Micari will represent Elgin Community College as they move forward to face students from Harper College in a head-to-head cupcake taste-off at the annual Hoffman Estates' International Food Tasting Festival on Thursday, Oct. 22. The event will take place from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Stonegate Banquet and Conference Centre, 2401 W. Higgins Road.

Esposito will present her Touchdown Irish cupcake; Connelly and Micari will enter their White Chocolate Caramel Tiramisu cupcake.

Sponsored by Tate & Lyle Splenda, the competition awards $1,000 and $500 scholarships to the two student teams who best utilize Splenda sweetener and receive the popular vote by attendees. This is the fourth cupcake showdown between the two schools. ECC students won first place two years in a row; Harper took the win at last year's competition.

Tickets for the event are $25 in advance, $35 at the door. For more information on the event, please visit www.visithoffman.com.

ECC's Culinary Arts and Hospitality Program consists of the culinary degree curriculum, pastry/baking degree curriculum, and the restaurant management degree curriculum. Culinary arts and restaurant management students at ECC also gain real-world experience at Spartan Terrace, the student-run restaurant where they prepare and serve elegant cuisine for dinner and lunch service under the guidance of their instructors. Visit www.elgin.edu/spartanterrace for more information.

For more information on ECC's collection of culinary, pastry, and hospitality management courses and degrees, visit www.elgin.edu/culinaryarts.