Temple Health-Chestnut Hill Hospital held its first March Madness Basketball Bracket Cookie Bake-Off on March 19, bringing together staff for a friendly competition inspired by the popular basketball tournament. The event was organized by Employee Engagement Committee members Carlie Kamnik and Bryce Garrett, who set up a bracket featuring 16 batches of homemade cookies baked by hospital employees.
The bake-off aimed to foster camaraderie among staff and provide an engaging activity outside of their regular duties. Each batch of cookies was assigned an anonymous number to ensure impartial judging, with bakers’ identities kept secret until the end of the contest.
A panel of nine judges evaluated the cookies based on taste, smell, and appearance, scoring each entry on a scale from one to five in each category. After several rounds of tasting and debate, two finalists emerged: chocolate peanut butter cups topped with sprinkles and cherry noir Black Forest cake cookies. Ultimately, the cherry noir Black Forest cake cookies were declared the winner.
The baker behind the winning entry was revealed as Assistant General Counsel Tausha Saunders, who also won last year’s Valentine’s Day Cookie Bake-Off. Saunders received her trophy from organizers Garrett and Kamnik, as well as Chestnut Hill Hospital President & CEO Rich Newell, whose own caramel pretzel cookies reached the Final Four.
The event drew coverage from NBC10 Philadelphia and The Chestnut Hill Local and was attended by many hospital staff members. Organizers said they hope this new tradition will continue in future years.
