The Wharf in Orange Beach will be coated in sweetness Friday, Sept. 17 as top pastry chefs and bakers from across the Southeast compete in Sweetest Chefs, an annual pastry competition. The Alabama Gulf Coast will be represented by Lennon Harrison, pastry chef at Voyagers at Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach, and Patricia Clark of Warehouse Bakery and Donuts in Fairhope. Harrison was a top winner in the 2019 Sweetest Chefs with his creative take on caramel corn.

In its sixth year as a pastry competition, this marks the first year for Sweetest Chefs at The Wharf, with 15 bakers and pastry chefs offering tastings of their creations at the Grand Tasting, along with two baking/pastry demonstrations. Attendees get to vote on their favorites across three categories. The evening also features cocktail demonstrations at the Rouses Markets Demo Stage, savory food tastings and live music. Tickets for the event, held at The Port at The Wharf, are still on sale at https://sweetestchefs.ticketspice.com/sweetest-chefs, with prices ranging from $65 for General Admission to $200 for VIP. For safety protocols, entry times will be staggered between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Event organizers have partnered with the culinary program at Coastal Alabama Community College to provide students with valuable experience as volunteers assisting the competitors, and a portion of the event proceeds will fund two scholarships to be awarded during the event to two lucky students.

Sweetest Chefs is presented by Eat Y’all, a Mississippi-based company that works to inspire and equip people to pursue meaningful careers in the foodservice and hospitality industries and also works to build relationships between chefs and small farmers and food makers around the globe. The event is hosted by Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism and Gulf Shores | Orange Beach Sports & Events, and sponsored by The Wharf Orange Beach, Rouses Markets, and Pearson Farms.

For more information on Sweetest Chefs, visit https://sweetestchefs.com/.