Panera Bread SouthPark Mall to Host Two Young Cancer Patients in the Inaugural "Panera Bread Ultimate Baker Junior" Competition


CLEVELAND, OH--(Marketwired - February 05, 2016) - On Saturday, February 6th 2016, Panera Bread will partner with A Special Wish Cleveland Chapter to help two young cancer patients fulfill their career aspirations of becoming professional bakers. They will train under the guidance of Panera Bread's Director of Baking (Cleveland), Dallas Cox, and compete to become the first ever, "Panera Bread Ultimate Baker Junior". 

Nine year old Lily Von Glahn and 7-year old Izzy Caminero are both battling cancer, but they will not let that get in the way of pursuing their goals of becoming professional bakers. Their training will begin on Tuesday, February 2nd during an episode of FOX8's New Day Cleveland, and will culminate in a live competition at the SouthPark Mall food court (Cinemark Lobby below Panera Bread Bakery Café). Izzy and Lily will both learn what it takes to become an Ultimate Baker as they battle celebrity chef Dante Boccuzzi and special Star Wars guests for the title.

"It takes patience, quick-thinking and the right attitude to become an Ultimate Baker. I know that Lily and Izzy will be up for the challenge!" -- Dallas Cox, Panera Bread.

"Our goal is to make Lily and Izzy feel special. We think that this will be a perfect day for both children." -- Jason Beudert, A Special Wish Cleveland.

Local celebrity and 95.5 The Fish personality, Sara Carnes will host the event. The celebrity judging panel will include Laura Demarco from the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Glenn the Funny Song Man from Q104 and Nikki Delamotte of Scene Magazine. 

Date: Saturday, February 6 th

Time: 12:00PM

Location: SouthPark Mall (Lobby below Panera Bread/Food Court) 

500 Southpark Ctr, Strongsville, OH 44136

A Special Wish will also utilize community boxes located inside Cleveland and Akron Panera Bread Bakery-Cafés to collect cash donations for the foundation. All cash and spare change donations during the month of February will benefit A Special Wish Cleveland. This money will be used to help grant wishes to children in the Cleveland and Akron region throughout 2016.

About Covelli Enterprises and Panera Bread

Covelli Enterprises operates more than 260 Panera Bread bakery-cafés in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Florida and Ontario, Canada. Headquartered in Warren, Ohio, Covelli Enterprises is the nation's largest franchisee of Panera, LLC. Covelli Enterprises donated over $26 million to charity in 2015 through food and monetary donations to local food banks and non-profit organizations. To learn more about Covelli Enterprises, visit www.covelli.com.

A Special Wish Cleveland

A Special Wish Foundation is a non-profit, charitable organization dedicated to granting the wishes of children under the age of 21 who have been diagnosed with a life-threatening disorder.

Founded in 1982, A Special Wish Foundation was one of the first wish-granting organizations in the United States, and now has chapters across the U.S. The Cleveland Chapter proudly opened its doors in 2013.

A Special Wish Foundation is the only major wish-granting organization in the United States which grants wishes to qualifying infants, children, and adolescents from birth through and including the age of 20 years.