It was cupcake against cupcake at Castle’s café last night…. Competition, team spirit and creativity were all the rage as we took on our own version of the popular Food Network series Cupcake Wars in celebration of Castle’s 15th Anniversary. Teams of friends, colleagues and our neighbors from MK3 and Campus Entertainment went head to head to create an exciting cupcake recipe that would show off each team’s cooking skills, creative genius, and a few of Castles’ “secret ingredients,” and I’m excited to share the impressive – and quite delicious – results!
But before I get to that, this happy hour/team building event – and the positive spirit that ensued – reminded me of two great articles that discuss ways to create a stellar company culture and the qualities of remarkable employees, and of how events like this are not just what we do to have fun, but what keeps our culture alive and growing. At a small company, culture and excellence can often intertwine – and in the best of ways. Human performance has a great deal to do with the culture within which he or she functions and if there is a fit and importance is placed on fostering that culture – performance can be optimized. In return, good employees become remarkable ones, motivation grows and both the company and the employee make themselves bigger. So to companies I say: innovate, ask & listen, value opinions, dream big, create opportunities for participation, nurture – and grow. And to employees: join the team, be delighted by what makes you unique, take risks, learn, teach, praise and let your remarkable-ness shine!
Congratulations to:
St. Patty Cakes for taking the overall winner team title and winning the taste category as well. The “secret ingredients” were Guiness, Bailey’s and cinnamon.
Café 75 for coming in second place and winning the presentation and creativity categories. The “secret ingredients” were citrus, gin and champagne.
School Lunch for coming in third and tying with Café 75 as the winners of the creativity category. The “secret ingredients” were marshmallow, peanut butter and raisin.
And congratulations as well to our other fierce competitors!
Green Monster Cupcakes, whose “secret ingredients” were pistachio, cheese and amaretto.
Countesses of Cupcakes, whose “secret ingredients” were Earl Grey, limoncello and honey.
Survival Kit, whose “secret ingredients” were zucchini, cinnamon and ginger.
Happy 15th Anniversary, Castle! And thanks to all who participated!
