Restaurants and chefs around the Valley and Flagstaff are duking it out during the award-winning Girl Scout Cookie Dessert Challenge. This second annual cookie-crumbling month-long fundraiser includes some of the state’s most renowned chefs who reinvent the most beloved Girl Scout cookies into custom dessert plates. Do-Si-Dos, Samoas, Tagalongs, Thin Mints, Trefoils, and the new Rah Rah Raisins will all be used in these culinary creations.
Each restaurant has agreed to feature its custom dessert plate on its menu from Feb. 1 to Feb. 28, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the transformation of the local Council’s Camp Sombrero to a Leadership Center for Girls and Women.
Check the list of the participating restaurants and their specialty desserts:
Restaurant: 32 Shea
Location: 10626 N. 32nd Street in Phoenix
Chef/Dessert Designer: Theresa “Chef T” Willie
Assigned Cookie: Thin Mint
Dessert: Double Chocolate Thin Mint Cookie Mousse
Restaurant: 5th and Wine
Location: 7051 E. 5th Avenue in Scottsdale
Chef/Dessert Designer: Enrique Sanchez
Assigned Cookie: Rah-Rah-Raisins
Dessert: Rah Rah Cookie Mud Pie
Restaurant: Bink’s Midtown, Bink’s Scottsdale and Café Bink’s
Locations: Phoenix, Scottsdale and Carefree
Chef/Dessert Designer: Amy Binkley
Assigned Cookie: Trefoils
Dessert: Banana Trefoil Puddin’
Restaurant: Blue Wasabi
Location: 2080 E. William Field Road in Gilbert
Chef/Dessert Designer: Christian Palomares
Assigned Cookie: Thin Mints
Dessert: Tempura Thin Mint Ice Cream
Restaurant: CHoP
Location: 2625 E. Queen Creek Road in Chandler
Chef/Dessert Designer: Grant Gates
Assigned Cookie: Tagalongs
Dessert: Tagalong Shortbread
Restaurant: Criollo
Location: 16 N. San Francisco Street in Flagstaff
Chef/Dessert Designer: Hillary Wamble
Assigned Cookie: Trefoils
Dessert: Citrus Trefoil Trifle
Restaurant: Del Frisco’s
Location: 2425 E. Camelback Road in Phoenix
Chef/Dessert Designer:
Assigned Cookie: Rah-Rah-Raisins
Dessert: Rum Raisin Ice Cream Sandwich
Restaurant: Different Pointe of View
Location: 11111 N. 7th Street in Phoenix
Chef/Dessert Designer: Lara Coleman
Assigned Cookie: Tagalongs
Dessert: Respect the Legacy
Restaurant: Gelato Spot
Location: 4166 N. Scottsdale Road in Scottsdale
Chef/Dessert Designer: Josh Bracher
Assigned Cookie: Samoas
Dessert: Samoa Cookie Gelato
Restaurant: Grimaldi’s
Locations: All Arizona locations throughout Chandler, Gilbert, Peoria, Scottsdale and Tucson
Chef/Dessert Designer: Cory Lattuca
Assigned Cookie: Thin Mints & Samoas
Desserts: Chocolate Thin Mint Cheesecake as well as a Samoa Cheesecake offering
Restaurant: Kelly’s at Southbridge
Location: 7117 E. 6th Avenue in Scottsdale
Chef/Dessert Designer: Kelli Casey
Assigned Cookie: Tagalongs
Dessert: Tagalong Chocolate Donut Holes
Restaurant: Lumberyard Brewery
Location: 5 S. San Francisco Street in Flagstaff
Chef/Dessert Designer: Richard Kimball
Assigned Cookie: Do-Si-Do
Dessert: Do-Si-Do Peanut Butter Gooey Cake
Restaurant: Melting Pot
Locations: All Valley locations throughout Ahwatukee/Phoenix, Glendale and Scottsdale
Chef/Dessert Designer: Jon Boggs
Assigned Cookie: Thin Mints
Dessert: Melting Pot Dark Chocolate Mojito Fondue
Restaurant: Olive + Ivy
Location: 7135 E. Camelback Road in Scottsdale
Chef/Dessert Designer: Kelli Sappington
Assigned Cookie: Tagalongs
Dessert: Chocolate Peanut Butter Gelato with Girl Scout Tagalong Cookie Crunch
Restaurant: Over Easy
Locations: All Valley locations throughout Arcadia, Gilbert, Mesa and Scottsdale
Chef/Dessert Designer: Aaron May
Assigned Cookie: Do-Si-Do
Dessert: Chocolate Do-Si-Dos Muffins
Restaurant: Rusconi’s
Location 10637 N. Tatum Blvd. in Phoenix
Chef/Dessert Designer: Michael Rusconi
Assigned Cookie: Samoas
Dessert: Samoa Decadence
Restaurant: Sushi Roku
Location: 7277 E. Camelback Road in Scottsdale
Chef/Dessert Designer: Joy Butteweg
Assigned Cookie: Thin Mints
Dessert: Thin Mint Chocolate Mousse Dome
Restaurant: The Henry
Location: 4455 E. Camelback Road in Arcadia
Chef/Dessert Designer: Marissa Pintor
Assigned Cookie: Thin Mints
Dessert: Thin Mint Doughnuts
Restaurant: The Second Story
Location: 4166 N. Scottsdale Road in Scottsdale (upstairs from The Gelato Spot noted above)
Chef/Dessert Designer: Josh Bracher
Assigned Cookie: Samoas
Dessert: Bruleed Salted Chocolate Tart with Somoa Cookie Crust
Restaurant: Tom’s Thumb
Location: 9393 E. Bell Road in Scottsdale
Chef/Dessert Designer: Lisa Anderson
Assigned Cookie: Samoas
Dessert: Samoa The Tom-oa
Camp Sombrero, located at the base of South Mountain Preserve, is a 14.5 acre site that has been owned and used by Girl Scouts for the past 51 years.
“It’s time to better utilize this beautiful property and transform it into an urban program center, with camp appeal, to provide leadership training for girls and women, give girls their first camping experience close to home and serve the surrounding community groups, partner organizations and schools,” says Susan de Queljoe of the local Council. “We’re halfway to our fundraising goal for Camp Sombrero and look toward beginning phased construction in early 2015.”
In addition to benefiting from the dessert challenge, a portion of the Council proceeds from all local 2015 Girl Scout cookie sales will also benefit the Camp Sombrero project. The transformation of Camp Sombrero is one of the local Council’s objectives as part of its overarching Campaign for Girls in Arizona.
Girl Scout Cookies will be on sale Jan. 26 to March 8. Like last year, the Girl Scouts will have all cookies on hand for immediate customer purchase. Please also note that while select Councils nationwide are piloting a Digital Cookie order program through GSUSA this year, the local Council is not participating in the pilot, but expects to provide this program in the next few years after GSUSA completes testing and formalizes best practices.
For more information on the challenge, visit www.girlscoutsaz.org/dessertchallenge. And be sure to get social with us! Tag any and all of your Girl Scout Cookie Dessert Challenge photos and posts with #DessertChallenge and #GirlScoutsAZ to join in the movement! –Christina Tetreault
Arizona’s Girl Scout Cookie Dessert Challenge
