In February of 2008, I visited a tiny restaurant by the name of Cakes&Ale. Accompanied by local Chefs and Mixologists, I had no idea what I was in store for. We ordered several small plates to share, beers, and a few desserts. Amongst the desserts was a small plate with 3 cream-filled cookies called “Phatty Cakes”, that to me, resembled little debbie's oatmeal pies. Skeptical, I picked one up and took a bite. Contrary to my preconceived notions, this little delicious treat turned out to be a marscarpone filled gingerbread whoopie pie. Soft gingerbread cookies with a sweet yet savory marscarpone filling, that almost melts in your mouth. After my initial visit, I would visit Cakes&Ale solely for the infamous “Phatty Cakes”. At 3 cakes for $6, I would stock up buying over a dozen little treats. And no, I never bothered to share, nor did I bother to tell anyone where I got them; they were truly my little secret. After years of consuming Phatty Cakes, I had to know who was behind the tiny delicious treat. Pastry Chef, Cynthia Wong was the mastermind behind this decadent little treat. “The 36-year-old Southerner has held a lot of jobs in the Atlanta food industry. She was the production manager for Via Elisa Fresh Pasta, a food stylist for the TBS program “Dinner & a Movie” and even a food reviewer for Creative Loafing. But she has found her metier at Billy Allin’s Cakes & Ale restaurant.”( Kessler 2010) In 2011, the Pastry Chef behind my favorite dessert, took her recipe to a restaurant by the name of Empire State South. After only one year of enjoying her infamous “Phatty Cakes” at Empire State South, Wong was a few weeks shy of her due date when her husband was transferred to London. Her reaction was “Yeah, why not? Let's just go ahead and do everything really scary all at once.”(Wong 2012) Luckily, the week before Wong's departure, I visited Empire State South for dinner when I found out that Wong would be taking her “Phatty Cakes” to London. Sadly, I ordered $60 worth hoping that would last me; and of course it only lasted for two weeks. I thought, how dare she get pregnant? How dare her husband get a promotion? How dare she leave me? How dare she take away my tasty treats? How dare she not think of the awesomeness that would end simply because she's leaving the United States of America! After my 30 decadent treats ran out, I decided that it was time for me to try to make some “Phatty Cakes” for myself, on my own. As a poor attempt to recreate my favorite treats, I gathered my Mise En Place for the dessert and start my adventure in making my own. What a freaking fail?!? My cookies were too soft, my filling was a waste of marscarpone, and my time was totally wasted; let's not forget to mention the damage I caused to the memory of the delicate, decadent, sweet yet savory treats. In conclusion, had it not been for Cakes&Ale and Cynthia Wong, I would have never discovered such a marvelous dessert. In addition to the restaurant and creator, had I not been a young enthusiast seeking more out of life by hanging with awesome local Chefs, I would have never ever known what the heck a “Phatty Cake” was. The most beautiful dessert that I've ever tasted as one like no other. Although I haven't had my favorite treat in over a year, I can still taste that beautiful piece of art that is a “Phatty Cake”.