PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — When the Washburn Lady Beavers headed to the State Class D Basketball Championship Game a year ago, a special treat was created in their honor to help recognize their accomplishments and wish them well.
The Washburn Whoopie Pie, made especially by TAMC food service employees, was a tasty treat with a blueberry cake shell and creamy yellow lemon filling to match the team’s blue and yellow colors. Aside from offering the unique variation on the state of Maine’s “official treat” to customers in the cafeteria at the A.R. Gould Memorial Hospital, Washburn Whoopies were given to the team, coaching staff and bus driver on their trip south to claim the gold ball.
With the Lady Beavers returning to the state championship match this coming weekend, the Washburn Whoopie returns — and with it comes a few new tasty treats to honor the other central Aroostook County teams heading south this weekend: the Presque Isle Lady Wildcats and the Fort Fairfield Tigers. The Central Aroostook State Champion Cheerleading Team from Mars Hill, which took home the Class D title Feb. 7, will also have a snack made in their honor.
“The entire TAMC team congratulates all County teams for the great effort they have put into their winter sports seasons,” said TAMC President and CEO Sylvia Getman. “We are pleased to join with so many others throughout the area in recognizing the accomplishments of the fine athletes who have represented their communities so well. We look forward to cheering on those ‘going for the gold’ this weekend.”
That cheering will begin at TAMC this Friday, when staff participating in the medical center’s “Casual for a Cause” program will adopt the team spirit theme, inviting those taking part in the program to dress in their favorite County team apparel or proudly wear the team’s colors.
The specialty whoopie pies, however, will be the treat of the day. TAMC staff will be presenting the specially made sweets to each of the four teams that day. Any remaining will be sold to employees on a first-come, first-served basis in the hospital cafeteria.
Featured will be the Beaver’s favorite Washburn Whoopie, along with the Wildcat Whoopie in honor of the Presque Isle Lady Wildcats and the Panther Pie for the Central Aroostook cheerleaders. Both the Wildcat and Panther creation will feature the blueberry cake shell and traditional white creamy whoopie pie filling to match the blue and white colors of both squads.
The Fort Fairfield Boys Basketball Team will have their red and white colors represented in a Red Velvet Cake whoopie pie shell paired with a cream cheese filling. It will be known as the Tiger Treat.
The confectionary creations are the work of two members on TAMC’s dietary staff — Carla Haines, who has been with TAMC for 10 years and serves as the foodservice supervisor; and Nancy Michaud, a 5-year employee who is well known for her baking talent.
“It’s exciting to know that we are helping these teams celebrate their success and helping cheer them on,” said Haines. “All of us at TAMC are behind them, and all of us in the dietary department are happy that we can do our part to make these special treats in their honor.”
Haines plans on traveling downstate this weekend to cheer on the teams she is making the special whoopies for. Both Haines, who has managed a number of delis in the area over the years and previously worked in food service for the Caribou School System, and Michaud, who spent 17 years in the kitchen at Alice’s Bakery at Ouellette’s Variety next door to Caribou High School, know firsthand their efforts will be appreciated.
“When it comes to whoopie pies, they are always number-one with the kids. It didn’t matter what kind it was,” said Michaud. “It’s kind of fun to think we’ll be making the official state treat for the teams that may very well be the state champion!”
The specialty whoopie pies will each be branded with a sticker featuring the team’s mascot and the name of the treat in the school colors. The labels are also the creation of Robert Marston, who runs the TAMC print shop.
