March Madness has everyone making brackets and cheering on their favorites to the championship. But at Temple Health-Chestnut Hill Hospital, fans weren’t rooting for college basketball teams. Instead, they were watching the suspense unfold during the campus’ first-ever March Madness Basketball Bracket Cookie Bake-Off!
Employee Engagement Committee members Carlie Kamnik, RD, CNSC, LDN and Bryce Garrett organized the contest, which pitted 16 batches of cookies—all homemade by Chestnut Hill employees—against one another. All cookies were anonymously numbered to ensure fair judging, with the bakers’ identities kept secret until the competition ended.
A panel of nine judges evaluated the cookies based on three categories—taste, smell, and appearance—and scored the cookies on a 1-5 scale for each category.
At the end of the competition, two entries remained: chocolate peanut butter cups topped with sprinkles, and cherry noir Black Forest cake cookies. There was much friendly debate over these two very strong competitors, but ultimately, the cherry noir cookies prevailed.
After the winner was declared, the anonymous baker behind the cherry noir cookies was revealed: Assistant General Counsel Tausha Saunders, who also came out on top in last year’s Valentine’s Day Cookie Bake-Off! Saunders accepted her trophy from Garrett, Kamnik, and Chestnut Hill Hospital President & CEO Rich Newell, MPT, DPT, whose caramel pretzel cookies made it to the Final Four.
Reporters from NBC10 Philadelphia and The Chestnut Hill Local covered the contest, which was well-attended by Chestnut Hill staff. It was another slam-dunk event for a hospital that prioritizes team member engagement, and is sure to become a campus tradition.
