Yates Mill Takes the Cake

Life is sweet at Yates Mill Bakery, NC State’s gourmet bakery, where the culinary staff never fails to meet an epicurean challenge. That may explain the recent spate of awards the team has picked up around town.

On March 9 the bakery took top honors in the “Best Dessert” category at the Tammy Lynn Center’s premier fundraising event, “A Taste of the Triangle.” Yates Mill entered its Lemon Mousse Cake with Lemon and its Mascarpone and Parisian Macaroon into the competition.

The icing on the cake came on March 31, when four employees nabbed medals at Wake Tech’s Culinary Arts Showcase, an annual event that features cooking challenges, exquisite cake displays, food samples from top Triangle restaurants, culinary demonstrations and cupcake decorating.

Let’s just say the competition fell faster than a soufflé at a rock concert.

Kelly Bellmore, executive pastry chef for University Dining, received a gold medal in the celebration cake category, as well as a silver medal for her cold plated dessert.

Yolanda Santiago earned a bronze medal in the buffet platter category for her petit fours. JoAnn Rey received a gold medal in the student hot food competition and KC Shepard earned a bronze medal in the student wedding cake category.

“I enjoy competing each year. It gives me the opportunity to practice and improve on my technique,” Bellmore says. “My favorite part of competing is talking to the other competitors – student and professional – because we all have a chance to learn from each other and to teach each other something new.”

University Dining opened Yates Mill Bakery last fall as a part of the $120 million Talley Student Union renovation project. The bakery offers a variety of gourmet sweet treats, as well as Howling Cow ice cream.

If you haven’t dropped by, you owe yourself the treat.