Sugar plus spice equaled a winning recipe for Heide Woodworth and her daughter, Colette, in the Department of Mathematics’ annual dessert competition.
Heide, administrative assistant for math and computer science, and Colette took top honors with a three-layer cake topped with a gingerbread house and copious amounts of frosting.
“It was unexpected, and I’m honored to have won the competition,” Woodworth says. “I had a vision in my head and a lot of spices around the house, so I looked up a recipe that could use those.”
The cake swept first prize, decided on by a panel of three judges, as well as the people’s choice award, voted on by the attendees. This was Woodworth’s first entry in the annual competition, and she both competed and helped organize the event.
Other entries included a winter redbird fruitcake by Dr. Rachel Grotheer, assistant professor of mathematics; chocolate cherry cookies by John Henry Tennant ’25, a mathematics and environmental studies major from Spartanburg, South Carolina; and chocolate cheesecake bites by Dr. Joseph Spivey, associate professor and chair of mathematics.
Each dessert was assessed on presentation, taste and creativity. The judges, all of whom were invited by Spivey, were Dr. Beau Christ, associate professor of computer science; Beth Wallace, vice president and dean of students; and Samantha Swearengin, executive assistant to the president.
This is the seventh year of the competition. Spivey says it’s a bonding activity for Wofford’s mathematicians and the greater campus community.
“We had to establish a set of rules after the first year,” says Spivey. “It was originally called a baking competition, so someone submitted a green bean casserole and the winner ended up being a no-bake dessert. After that, we changed it to being a dessert competition.”