Poof pastry
Straight boys skol an entire yard glass of VB on their 21st birthday. Gays prefer to bake. This month Queer Sydney prepares to salute its oldest charity event on her 21st year: the Bake Off
By Andrew Georgiou
Queer Sydney's sweet charity
The annual BGF Bake Off is a Sothebys for queers and cakes. Each year hundreds of baked treats are delivered fresh from the loving oven mitts of our community direct to the Bake Off, where every morsal of poof pastry is auctioned off for top dollar. From cakes adorned with edible porn through to gigantic chocolate-coated cocks, the array of oven fresh entrants at the annual Bake Off is rude food at its raunchiest. The Bake Off's regular kitchen aid Mitzi Macintosh recalls her personal favourite entrant. "The Barbie And Ken Bondage Boudoir was a huge bed with a cage around the edges and Barbie and friends were entangled in a lesbian sexual pretzel while Ken and the boys brought new meaning to ‘beat that cake bitch'," says Mitzi.
The event sees cakes hocked off from $50 through to $10,000 with every queer buck earned donated directly to the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation. Established in 1984, the BGF was launched by friends of prominent Sydney gay activist Bobby Goldsmith who rallied together to help support Goldsmith as he struggled with the physical effects of HIV/AIDS. Since its conception the charity has assisted thousands of clients by providing practical, emotional and financial support to men, women and children affected by HIV/AIDS.
Although the BGF's CEO Bev Lange believes the success of previous Bake Offs will ensure its future as a fundraising favourite, she is quick to point out the bigger picture."In spite of the frivolity of such an event, there's a serious undertone as more people are living with HIV/AIDS than ever," she says.
Hosted by French drag royalty Claire De Lune, the afternoon doubles up as a showcase of our city's finest drag talent, as every pair of false lashes and breasts offer to lend a well-manicured hand to raise funds.
The Bake Off has drawn in top name judges such as Aussie culinary legend Margaret Fulton in 2006. Dwarfed by seven-foot tall drag queens on either side of her, Fulton received a warm welcome from the countless gay men who as children, could only have wished for a Margaret Fulton cookbook instead of a Tonka Truck for Christmas.
Whether you're a queen or a klutz in the kitchen the Bake Off needs you. Entries close Friday 13 June so gentlemen, start your ovens.
The BGF Bake Off kicks and licks off Sunday 15 June, 12pm, with viewing at 2pm and auction at 4pm at The Midnight Shift, 85 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst 2010. $10 donation at the door.