Many thanks to guest judge @betamusic for last week's theme "cupcakes".  Who doesn't like cupcakes?  Even though I don't eat sugar I still find myself admiring beautiful cakes because they're undeniably works of art... I love how you bake your cute little cake and it's a fairly plain looking 'blank canvas', and then with creative skill it's suddenly transformed into something extraordinary.  Taste aside - on looks alone cakes displayed in bakery windows can literally make people stop in the street, struck with awe.  Well, we certainly had many beautiful entries for this theme.  Not only did they all look spectacular, but there was clearly much thought put into creating a taste sensation as well as an aesthetic one... Some really gorgeous ingredients and flavour combinations.  I want to thank you all for continuing to delight our eyes and imaginations with all these heavenly recipes week after week... It's a wonderful thing knowing the pleasure you have cooking and the pleasure we all have in seeing your creations.

There is a slight change to the prize for 4th place, from 50 Steem to 5 SBD, sponsored by @sirwinchester.  

Please scroll down for updates about the next week.

4th Prize "Cupcakes Steem with a fruity touch" by Haydeart 5 SBD Sponsored by @sirwinchester

3rd Prize "Double Chocolate Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Avocado Mousse Frosting" by @amy-goodrich 10 SBD Sponsored by @smooth

2nd Prize "Milkshake Limoncello Cupcakes" by @rouketas 15 SBD Sponsored by @smooth

1st Prize "Vegan strawberry cupcakes with a rainbow topping" by @chrissysworld 25 SBD Sponsored by @smooth

Prizes will be transferred directly to your wallets by the respective sponsors.  Please note: the sponsors are not always able to pay straight away - it can take days or occasionally even weeks, so please be understanding about this.  But they have never let us down so be assured they always catch up with payments as soon as they can!
 

I'd like to share my sincere THANKS to @smooth and @sirwinchester for their continuous sponsorship of this challenge, the Steemians who submitted entries, and to everyone who upvoted and supported the entries.  I'm well aware there would be no challenge without you all!!! 

Normally this is where I would announce the new theme...

But this week I'm putting a temporary, yes, only TEMPORARY! pause on the challenge... for just 1 week I hope, and give us chance to locate our sponsor and settle prizes still owed.  @sirwinchester has settled all IOUs for 4th place winners, so it is just @smooth we're waiting on.  Please remember @smooth has an excellent reputation on Steemit and I personally have never had any problems with communication previously, so please continue to only think the best of our much-appreciated-sponsor.  We all have lives that have nothing to do with Steemit, and it's fair to expect that people will 'disappear' from time to time.  I have absolutely no doubt he will pay all the winners as soon as he returns to Steemit.  Once the IOUs are resolved then we can resume this challenge... so please don't go anywhere!  I have the next 2 themes lined up already with wonderful guest judges, and you won't want to miss them!!!
 

Please stand by for updates!  Thank you!    
 

Here you can find the PREVIOUS WINNERS of the Steemit Culinary Challenge:

#28 - Cupcakes

#27 - Be A Michelin Star Chef For One Night

#26 - Sugar-Free Raw Vegan Desserts

#25 - Your Favourite Dish

#24 - Mouthgasms

#23 - Otsumami

#22 - Mediterranean Night

#21 - Coffee a la Barista's

#20 - Pancake Paradise

#19 -  Sweet and Savory Crepes

#18 - Tasty, Wholesome Meals for Weight Loss

#17 - Shepherd's Pie

#16 - Tacos for a Tech Savvy

#15 - Roast It

#14 - DIVINE LEMONed DESSERT

#13 - The Finest Fish Dish

#12 - Purely Paleo

#11 - Cheeseless Burger

#10 - Anglo–Sino Chicken

#9 - New Year on a Platter

#8 - La Pasta Perfetta

#7 - Battle of Noodles

#6 - HOT Off the Grill

#5 - Unorthodox Chillied Dish

#4 - Super Salads

#3 - Smoothie Showdown

#2 - Out of the Box Sandwiches  

#1 - Sniffle Remedy Soup

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me, either by posting your queries on the comment thread below, or you can find me on Steemit.chat under the same name.  I will respond as soon as I can. 

For the announcement of winners and new themes, follow me :-)