Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast presented the 9th Annual Samoa Soiree on March 25 at Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center in Norfolk. Guests sampled recipes created by top local chefs who were tasked with creating scrumptious appetizers and desserts using Girl Scout Cookies as a key ingredient. Participating restaurants included The Bee & The Biscuit, The Butcher’s Son, Catering by Farm Fresh, Cyprus Grille at Embassy Suites Hampton, Mermaid Catering, Event and Personal Chef Services, Mixxer’s Kitchen, RJ’s Café at The Salvation Army Kroc Center, Sweetwater Cuisine, Tap It Local, Travinia Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar, and The Vineyards.
The eclectic eats were judged by local celebrities and foodies, including Don London, vice president of operations at Entercom Communications Corporation; Marisa Marsey of VEER Magazine; Xerxes Nabong, Yelp community director; Steve Parnell, account executive with Little Brownie Bakers; Ashley Smith, 13News Now reporter; Peggy Sijswerda, editor and publisher of Tidewater Family Magazine and Tidewater Women Magazine, and myself.
Here are the winners:
Favorite Dessert: Travinia Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar—Coconut Dulce Cupcakes featuring coconut Samoa crust and cheesecake with coconut whipped cream and coconut flakes on top.
Favorite Savory and People’s Choice for Best Savory: Catering by Farm Fresh—Miss Daisy’s Braised Pork featuring Dosi Do braised pork cheeks, Trefoil fried onions, Samoa mashed sweet potatoes and apples with Thin Mint-covered bacon.
Best Presentation: Cyprus Grille at Embassy Suites Hampton presented two dishes: a cocoa rubbed sous vide skirt steak over top jalapeno coconut jasmine rice and barbecue mole sauce; and a s’mores cookie shot with chocolate mousse and marshmallow brûlée.
Most Creative Use of a Girl Scout Cookie: The Vineyards—Lemon asiago macaroni and cheese with Savannah Smiles and a crumble of Trefoils, parmesean and Pablo bread crumbs.
Best in Show: Mixxer’s Kitchen—Tagalong waffle topped with braised short rib and a beef red wine maple syrup reduction.
People’s Choice for Best Dessert: The Bee & The Biscuit—Heaven and Earth Trefoil cupcakes with Thin Mint-dipped bacon roses.
