The American’s Nick Wesemann wins CCVI’s Food Fight 6.

Three of Kansas City’s most talented pastry chefs — Carter Holton of Sasha Baking Co. and the River Club, Elizabeth Paradise of Story restaurant, and Nick Wesemann of the American — fought it out, metaphorically speaking, for the top honors at last night’s Food Fight 6.

Wesemann won the judges’ award, but the other two pastry chefs didn’t leave empty-handed: Holton received the most votes in the people’s choice category, and Paradise swept past her competitors in a flash-challenge competition that required each of the chefs to frost and decorate a cake … blindfolded.

 
The competing chefs made an impressive variety of desserts — ranging from Wesemann’s delicate hand-crafted bonbons to Holton’s grapefruit cheesecake (topped with a champagne gelee) to the creamy bay-leaf-citrus panna cotta prepared by Paradise — that were as beautiful as they were delicious. Judging the collective work of each chef was a notable panel of judges: Megan Garrelts, pastry chef and co-owner of Bluestem and Rye; chocolatier Christopher Elbow; culinary blogger Shannon Bowman; and Dan Swinney, executive chef at Lidia’s.

One of the highlights of the evening was the flash-challenge, overseen by a team of emeritus judges (Dave Crum of Crum’s Heirlooms, Josh Eans of Happy Gillis Café & Hangout, and Janet Ross, sous chef at Café Sebastienne). As the official judges tabulated their scores for the main contest, Holton, Paradise and Wesemann, each allowed verbal assistance from a sous, had five minutes to frost and decorate a cake without looking at the thing. It was the evening’s most entertaining segment, and the results looked comically awkward. Paradise won that round of the night’s events by managing to pipe “Happy Valentine’s Day” in relatively legible pink icing, and trimming the top perimeter with candy and nuts.

Food Fight 6, a fundraiser for the Children’s Center for the Visually Impaired, earned about $60,000 for the school, thanks to a sold-out crowd of some 400 patrons. This year’s event was held at Union Station’s Science City, affording plenty of room for the guests, the food and beverage stations, and a large contingent of local chefs and restaurateurs.