Top Cookie 2023 is officially SOLD OUT! Thank you for supporting this event! We look forward to seeing you next year!
Join us for our second annual Top Cookie where chefs from iconic local restaurants will engage in a friendly competition to create a winning dessert from beloved Girl Scout cookies.
Top Cookie chefs have chosen a Girl Scout cookie flavor and are invited to create a scrumptious dessert incorporating the cookie. This year’s event is set to be even better with some new and returning chefs and a signature cocktail to pair with the cookie-inspired desserts.
Top Cookie guests will enjoy hors d’oeuvres and drinks, sample each dessert, and vote for their favorite, The People’s Choice. An esteemed panel of judges will determine the" Critics' Choice" winner. All proceeds raised from this event support Girl Scout programs.
The Linen Building
February 23, 2023
5:00 pm - 7 pm
1402 W Grove St, Boise, ID 83702
This is a 21+ event.
Purchase Tickets - SOLD OUT!!!! 
Meet the Chefs
Erika Claassen - KIN
After studying and working in architecture for several years, Erika chose to revisit her childhood love of baking and pursue a career in the kitchen. Over the past 15 years she has held positions ranging from Pastry Chef to Chef de Cuisine in McCall, Pullman, WA, and Boise. 8 months ago she took over as Pastry Chef at KIN and Art Haus Bar.
Rich Gardunia - Crave Kitchen & Bar
"I have been a pastry chef/baker for ten yearsish. Head pastry chef for Crave Kitchen & Bar for the past 2.5 years. I won Tiptree US World Championships this past summer. A James Beard Mentee, and all around great guy."
Hailey Horsewood - Horsewood Catering
I am one of the fortunate chefs on the Horsewood team. Cooking is a meditation to me. I never stop learning and never want to stop. I am in the process of cultivating sourdough bread. My hope is to fully start baking sourdough breads that match our eccentric style indefinitely for Horsewood Catering.
Aside from that, my favorite thing on earth is my dog, Sequoia. He is a one year old Newfoundland. He owns every inch of my heart. I look forward to working with you.
Aaron Hudson - Hudson Baking Co.
Aaron and Anna long ago committed to accessible food. The Hudsons first became interested in food when they lived in Hawaii with the military. In Hawaii, they were able to buy fresh, locally grown food year around. Later, in college at Evergreen State, they both majored in food policy. Today, they are putting their commitment to activism and food to work as they build their baking company and family. They have three kids, Andi, Alix, and Augustus. The Hudsons are both food activists first, being a bakery allows them to be food advocates. The Company has a new store front in Kuna, and they also deliver product to you for free in the Treasure Valley. Making the freshest food accessible is the cornerstone of their business. They are passionate about clean and healthy food for all.
Meet the Judges
Michelle Heart - 107.9 LITE FM
Hey, I’m Michelle Heart! Once I moved to the Treasure Valley for my
first full-time radio job, I realized that I never wanted to leave.
When I'm not on the air, you'll find me running the Boise Greenbelt,
watching football or talking way too much about the latest Marvel TV
show or movie.
Samantha Hughes - The Lively, 2022 Top Cookie Winner
Samantha Hughes grew up in Arizona and preferred to spend her summers inside watching TV to escape the heat. She was an “indoor” child raised on daytime television, The Food Network and PBS which sparked her interest in cooking. Shortly after graduating high school, she attended Le Cordon Bleu and majored in Baking and Pastry. Her first job after graduating was a banquet pastry cook at the Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. There she trained under Chef Roy Pell who competed in the Coupe du Monde and Pastry Olympics. She then moved on to Elements restaurant at the Sanctuary Resort in Scottsdale to work with Chef Beau Macmillan of Food Network Fame. A few years later she moved to Austin, Texas to work with Chef Brian Malarkey, a finalist on Top Chef. Eventually her culinary journey led her to California to work with celebrity Chef Michael Mina and assisted the Mina Group with opening two Bourbon Steak restaurants and became the Pastry Chef of Bourbon Steak Orange County. Once the pandemic hit, California restaurants were really struggling so she moved to Boise, Idaho where she met Chef Edward Higgins and is now the Pastry Chef at Boise’s new and exciting restaurant, The Lively.
Tara Morgan - Local Food Entrepreneur/Journalist
I'm a food journalist and editor based in Boise, Idaho. I also own a boutique catering company, Wild Plum Events, and operate the food blog and Instagram account, Boise Feed. I also organize the Foodfort Talks for Treefort Music Festival.
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