Newton Citizen

Social Circle Girl Scout Giselle Osborn from Troop 27552 recently participated in the first annual Top Cookie Chef Competition to benefit the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, Inc. Pictured, from left, are Caitlin Andrews, Nicole Schwensen, Osborn, Theresa Daugherty and Madeline Plant.

MABLETON -- Earlier this month, the corporate team from Atlanta Gas Light won the first annual Top Cookie Chef Competition to benefit the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, Inc.

In addition to 15 corporate-sponsored teams, a Girl Scout team also

competed, which included Social Circle resident Giselle Osborn from

Troop 27552.

Held at the King Plow Arts Center, the "Iron Chef"-like competition has

been conducted by Bold American Events and Catering as a team-building exercise for many of Atlanta's leading companies For the first time, the

"Top Cookie Chef" event transformed the competition to cooking for a

cause, with a fund-raising cook-off to make one hot dessert and one cold dessert from the iconic cookies.

The Girl Scout team included girls aged 14 through 17 throughout the

Atlanta region who are Cadette, Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts.

Osborne, 15, and the other girls participate in the Girl Scout Leadership Experience program, which includes lessons in team-building such as those demonstrated at Top Cookie Chef.

Atlanta's Bold American Catering and Events supplied all logistical

support for the competition.

Judges for the competition included: Atlanta Journal Constitution food

critic John Kessler, Dale Gordon DeSena, executive director "Taste of

Atlanta" and Girl Scout Gold Award recipient Rebecca McIver.

"When we were watching the competition in action, the Girl Scout team

was the best at organization," said judge John Kessler. "You could

really see that Girl Scout training in action."

Chefs Joe Truex from many of Atlanta's best restaurants and specialty

food stores assisted the teams during the competition. The chefs

included Babette's Cafe's Chef Marla Adams, Cacao Atlanta Chocolate

Company's Chef Kristen Hard, High Road Craft Ice Cream & Sorbet's Chef Keith Schroeder, Tap's Chef Adrian Villarreal, The Viking Cooking

School's Chef Louis Lindic, and The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead's Chef Dallas Marsteller. Chef Joe Truex, from Decatur, Georgia's Watershed restaurant assisted the winning team.

Girl Scouts will celebrate their 100th year anniversary in 2012, and

fundraising events such as the Top Cookie Chef competition, which will

be repeated in 2012, are part of the planned calendar of events.

"Just like any other non-profit organization, we raise money to support

the very important work we do." said Midyette. "Girl Scouts is not just

nice, it's necessary. Today, we need strong leaders and the Girl Scout

experience is highly correlated to that mission."

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, Inc. is the premier leadership

development organization for girls, serving more than 42,000 girls and

18,000 adult members in 34 counties in northwest Georgia.

For more information about how to join, volunteer or donate to Girl

Scouts of Greater Atlanta, call 800.771.4046 or visit www.gsgatl.org.