You could practically taste the excitement as hundreds of Ivy Tech Community College Fort Wayne and Warsaw students, employees, and community members filled the Student Life Center Gym for an afternoon filled with eating books.
Monday, April 1 was the Ivy Tech Fort Wayne Library’s 15th annual Edible Book Festival. It’s an event that’s observed worldwide where book lovers and food enthusiasts unite to create and eat “edible books” based on a book title, scene, or pun. The audience judges the “edible books” based on Best Design, Best Taste, and Funniest Interpretation.
This year, 21 participants showed their creativity through books like The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, the Hobbit, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and so many more!
The winners of the 2024 Edible Book Festival were…
- Best Design: Journey Through Narnia – Abbey Mieritz
- Best Tasting: The Cookie Club – Maggie Nussbaum
- Funniest Interpretation: …Have You Seen My Nuts? – Angel Moschel
“I knew I was going to go big this year,” says Best Design winner, Abbey Mieritz. “It’s really exciting, and it’s nice to have everyone coming by and asking questions. Makes it worth all of the time.”
This was Abbey’s second year competing in the EBF. She says she chose The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe because it was a novel she and her kids read over and over when they were younger. She baked three different cakes with flavors that included chocolate, raspberry, and lemon.
Lots of participants had strong ties to the books they chose, but some of those feelings looked different than others.
Take Melinda Allen, for example.
She’s been participating in the EBF since 2010 and has made 13 cakes for the event through the years. Last year, her cat cakes won the Best Design category.
“I love this event, and I look forward to it all year,” Melinda says. “I actually found this year’s book online because I liked the eclipse idea. I was able to incorporate the farm animals in the book into my design.”
Melinda showcased her 21 years of cake decorating experience by bringing spiced cake and cupcakes—her favorite flavor. She added the spice this year to her cakes based on Genny Sees the Eclipse by Colleen Onuffer due to her excitement surrounding the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.
Ivy Tech Fort Wayne Hospitality Administration alumna Isabelle Sims showed off the skills she learned in class by creating her lemon “Smaug and the Shire” cake based off The Hobbit.
“I read the book in high school and really enjoyed it,” Isabella says. “This year I wanted to go big, and I really love dragons.”
Isabelle participated as a student last year making cupcakes. Now, she’s teaching at a culinary school and cake decorating on the weekends. She plans to continue bringing her bakes to future festivals.
These were just three of the amazing talent that filled the gym. From sea salt chocolate chip cookies to ham and cheese sandwiches, you can take a look at all the delicious creations!
Ivy Tech Fort Wayne plans to host this event again in 2025. Stay tuned to learn more about when you could attend next year’s event!
About Ivy Tech Community College
Ivy Tech Community College is Indiana's largest public postsecondary institution and the nation's largest singly accredited statewide community college system, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana and also serves thousands of students annually online. It serves as the state's engine of workforce development, offering associate degrees, long- and short-term certificate programs, industry certifications, and training that aligns with the needs of the community. The College provides a seamless transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana, as well as out of state, for a more affordable route to a bachelor's degree.
