Cakes raise dough for Historical Society at fundraiser

SHARON — The torrential rain stopped just long enough for the Sharon Historical Society to hold its biannual Let Them Eat Cake auction and fundraiser on Friday evening, July 2. 

People gathered under the tent on the grounds of the Historical Society sipping cocktails made by volunteers and enjoying one of the first public gatherings since COVID-19.

Inside the Historical Society, 21 cakes donated and baked by community members were on display. After the cocktail hour came to close, and the salmon crostini from JP Gifford had all been eaten, attention turned to the cakes, which were posed in front of the two auctioneers: investigative journalist Brian Ross and art attorney Christopher Robinson.

This was not the first cake auction rodeo for either auctioneer. Ross and Robinson were successful in their duties again, raising $17,160 in cake sales alone through the live, in-person auction. 

There was also, for the first time, an online auction of six additional cakes with bidding through the holiday weekend. Those six cakes brought in $2,285.

Jamie Drake, the successful bidder for Rebecca Baum’s All-American Cheesecake, with a final price of $2,100, said he’s happy to support the Historical Society because “without history, we don’t exist.” 

When asked whether he generally prefers the cake or the frosting, he said, “It’s like pancakes and syrup: You can’t have one without the other!”

In-person auction

• All-American Cheesecake by Rebecca Baum, $2,100  

• Brown Sugar Bundt Cake by Rebecca Baum, $1,600  

• Citrus Poppy Seed Layer Cake with Lemon Glaze by Anthony Bellomo of Orangerie in Millbrook, $1,600

• Strawberry Fields Forever by Elizabeth Mayhew, $1,550 

• Strawberry Olive Oil Cake by Troutbeck’s Ariel Yotive, $1,400

Online auction

• A Custom Decorated Cake by Elizabeth Mayhew, $800

• Clementine Almond Cake, $800

• World’s Best Chocolate Cake, $200

• Rhubarb and Strawberry Crumble Cake, $180

• Brown Sugar Bundt Cake, $175

• Three Cheers by Marel Rogers, $130

Kathy Fricker, Charlene Whitney and Richard Roney-Dougal enjoyed each others’ company at the Sharon Historical Society’s Let Them Eat Cake Auction on Friday, July 2. Photo by Anabelle Baum

Anthony Bellomo and Christopher Spitzmiller were among the celebrity bakers who donated cakes to this year’s event. They made a Citrus Poppyseed Cake. Photo by Anabelle Baum

Kathy Fricker, Charlene Whitney and Richard Roney-Dougal enjoyed each others’ company at the Sharon Historical Society’s Let Them Eat Cake Auction on Friday, July 2. Photo by Anabelle Baum