WHEREAS it is the intention of the Mayor and Council of Cherry Hill Township to focus attention on noteworthy occasions and individuals; and

WHEREAS  on March 5, 2017, Cherry Hill resident and Cherry Hill West graduate Mark Keating, a culinary student at Rutgers College at Burlington County, took part in the “Let Them Eat Cake” competition in Philadelphia; and

WHEREAS  for their submission, Mark and his partner, Olivia McCaw, created a “Candyland”-themed, tiramisu-inspired cake – vanilla bean cake soaked in coffee and rum syrup filled with a cream cheese mousse and covered in a Swiss buttercream – which took an astounding two weeks to complete; and

WHEREAS it was the pair’s first entry into a baking contest, and the first time Rutgers College at Burlington County sent its students to the Let Them Eat Cake competition; and

WHEREAS Mark and Olivia’s masterpiece was ultimately selected as the “Best Student” submission, an impressive feat in a contest that featured more than two dozen of the region’s most talented bakers; and

WHEREAS while the victory is wonderful on its own, the philanthropy behind Let Them Eat Cake means so much more, as it raises much-needed funds for Variety – the Children’s Charity, an organization that benefits special-needs children; and

WHEREAS the Mayor and Council of Cherry Hill Township place great value on our town’s diversity – including diversity of talent – and Mark’s clear and natural talent for culinary creation and design, and his dedication to his craft were key to his success, and will undoubtedly allow him to achieve whatever success he desires moving forward.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, CHUCK CAHN, by virtue of the authority vested in me as Mayor of the Township of Cherry Hill, County of Camden, State of New Jersey, do hereby proclaim Monday, May 22, 2017, to be

Mark Keating Day 

in the Township of Cherry Hill and do urge all citizens to join with me and Council in congratulating Mark and his culinary partner, Olivia McCaw, on their first-place finish in the Let Them Eat Cake Competition, in thanking him for his participation in an event that will improve the lives of children with special-needs in our area, and in wishing him great success in all his future endeavors.