Hi! We’re Liz and Tania, long-time Columbus residents, friends, and enthusiastic bakers. Over the years, we’ve entered the Ohio State Fair and other baking contests, collecting more than a dozen ribbons between us. Our proudest moments include two “Best in Show” wins at the Ohio State Fair and - most relevant for the Columbus Cookie Classic - four ribbons for chocolate chip cookies.

As much as we love the thrill of competition, there are a few things we’ve always wished baking contests offered more of: helpful feedback from judges, real community with fellow bakers, and the chance to taste one another’s creations. We’re launching the Columbus Cookie Classic to build the kind of event we always wanted to attend!

Liz is our community relations and social media lead. She brings a wealth of event-planning experience from her time as executive director of Columbus SOUP and through her service on the boards of 934 Gallery, the Avalon Theatre, Main Street Marysville, and Wild Goose Creative, executing events ranging from community dinners, car shows, galas, egg hunts, 5k races, festivals, cooking demos, and beyond.

Tania handles logistics and behind-the-scenes coordination. Past experience includes co-hosting Columbus Science Pub, Too Many Cooks, and the Pizza Grand Prix. Today she’s a volunteer project lead for US Digital Response and, locally, serves with At Home by High and the Columbus Foundation Green Fund.

Together, we’re combining our ribbons, our organizing chops, and our love of cookies to launch the Columbus Cookie Classic. The Columbus Cookie Classic is an annual amateur baking competition celebrating Columbus’s most passionate cookie makers. Created by two ribbon-winning bakers, it’s designed as a fun, creative, and engaging alternative to traditional fair contests—complete with ribbons, cash prizes, bragging rights, and plenty of community spirit. More than just a competition, it’s a way to bring the local home baking community together over a shared love of cookies.

Columbus Cookie Classic is a fiscally sponsored project of Community Shares of Mid-Ohio/In(form)ed, a registered Ohio nonprofit corporation and recognized as tax-exempt under IRS Code 501(c)(3). EIN 31-1363943