Meet A Mother-Daughter Baking Team, Marty LaConte and Jen Gager!

Hi! We are a mother-daughter baking wunder-duo who are entering the contest for the first time!  Jen Gager, the daughter of the team, is a repeat attender of Cupcake Camp, and is often known to sing the words "Cup-cake-Caaaaammpp!" in falsetto to emphasize the amazingness of the event to the uninitiated.  When she's not baking cupcakes, she teaches Arts and Sciences courses at ECPI University in North Charleston.  Marty LaConte, known as "Mrs. Jen's Mom" in certain circles, lives in Akron, Ohio (the Rubber City!), and has a double-super-not-so-secret reason for attending this year: she's organizing Cupcake Camp Akron!  That's right, Marty is hopping a plane for the second year in a row to marvel at the baked wonders of the Holy City.  She's also a nurse at Akron General Medical Center.

Our local team is rounded out by expert tasters Jason Gager, professional adult, and Brodie Gager, toddler-at-large.   

The Quiz, Revealed:

1. What are your favorite ingredients to use?
Marty: I like using nuts, cinnamon, apples and chocolate.  These are versatile, popular flavors that appeal to the vast majority of tasters.
Jen: I like things that smoke, fizz, or sound weird, making the perfect cupcake a dry ice-Seven-Up-glockenspiel cupcake, I guess.

2. Celebrity chef you'd like to work with:
Marty: Paula Deen--she has very practical dishes that use common ingredients that I can pronounce!
Jen says: Oooh, man.  I have a nerd crush on Wylie Dufresne.  I admire his experimental nature that doesn't sacrifice taste at the altar of innovation.

3. Cupcake you are best known for:
Marty: Probably my cream-filled chocolate cupcake, but I have a new idea for Cupcake Camp . . .
Jen: Best known for my paleo-friendly almond meal breakfast cupcake, which is a hit for low-carbers.

4. What was the first thing you've ever baked?
Marty: Oatmeal drop cookies...I grew up in a large family and Mom had a production line of brown bag lunches every morning.  They always included cookies for dessert, so we always needed a good supply on hand!
Jen: I'm guessing it was lightbulb-influenced cuisine on Christmas Day.  I can definitely recall inflicting Easy-Bake "experiments" on my poor sister and parents.  I got better, though...and graduated to an actual oven in 2010.

5. What do you look forward to at Cupcake Camp Charleston this year?
Marty:  I'm most interested in learning how CCC works behind the scenes since we are hosting one in Akron on 5/4/13.  What better way than to become a participant?
Jen: I attended the first and second years as an eater, so this year I'm really excited to participate as a baker.  I also have to admit that I've never been around to see the judging portion, so I'd like to check that out if I can.  How do they do it?  So -- many -- cupcakes!

Baker Marty in front of her workplace!

Baker Jen and Tasting Team Jason and Brodie

Tasting Expert Brodie in Action