July 6 – New Cookie Festival in Fort Wayne to feature decorating contest, more
CONTRIBUTED
Rebecca Sizemore hopes that her new Cookie Festival will showcase the talents of area bakers.
FORT WAYNE — Sometimes a new experience can lead to a career change.
“They talked me into doing a cookie class,” Rebecca Sizemore said. At the time, she was working with Country Kitchen SweetArt. Her expertise was in the field of cake decorating.
But that one class changed the direction of her career. Since 2019, Sizemore has become a cookie artist who is the full-time cookie decorator for Icing for Isaac, a local bakery.
On the side, Sizemore has her own business called For the Heart of Cookies, “a cookie decorating supply shop,” she explained. In addition to carrying a dizzying variety of sprinkles, she stocks cookie scribes, piping bags and cookie boxes. Sizemore also makes custom-designed cookie cutters with a 3D printer — and that was what started her next idea.
Sizemore explained that she and her sister were discussing methods to help her business to grow. “I thought ‘cookie festival’ and my sister thought I was losing my mind.”
But her sister, who owns Ambrosia Orchard, was willing to support Sizemore in this new endeavor — and the first Cookie Festival was planned. Sizemore said the experience has been surreal.
Free activities at the festival will include face painting, a bounce house, a bounce house with an obstacle course in it, temporary tattoos and many more things to do. For a modest fee, there will be cotton candy, a snow cone machine, and food trucks where people can purchase lunch or a snack.
Sizemore’s 3D printing machine will be up and running to demonstrate how custom cookie cutters are made.
“We have so many cookie people here in Fort Wayne,” Sizemore said.
She plans to have several different cookie competitions, like a community vote for decorated cookies and a speed decorating contest for cookie artists. During her interview, she was designing the template cookie for others to follow during the decorating contest.
“I want people to see our artwork,” Sizemore said.
Cookies take a lot of preparation, quality ingredients and hours of work to become the treats that people enjoy; “Cookies are artwork,” she concluded.
The Cookie Festival will be held July 9 at Ambrosia Orchard, 14025 U.S. 27 near Hoagland. VIP tickets are available for a fee if you plan to attend from noon-1 p.m.; regular admission from 1-5 p.m. is free.
To learn more, go to https://fortheheartofcookies.com.