Benzinga Bakeoff Nearly a Bust, Saved Only by Chocolate-Topped Cheesecake

Granted, I showed up an hour early to work on something for a colleague and former Benzinga baker. But it was still a horribly depressing moment.With each passing hour, my colleagues arrived one by one. As they entered the office, I checked their arms for plates, trays and pans full of muffins, cookies, and other delicious treats. Little by little, however, it became apparent that the Benzinga crew had decided to ditch the bakeoff in favor of sleep, laziness, or whatever else people do in the early morning hours.Then (finally!) it happened: Jacquelyn “Jax*” Sly had arrived! She came walking into the office with a large tray in her hands. And inside that tray was…“Nachos!? Huh!?”I was baffled. “This is a bakeoff,” I thought. “Not a cook-off.”However, as my colleagues piled into the break room, plastic forks in hand, it was clear that Jax's nachos were a huge hit – even if they weren't what I was personally craving.Soon, Sarah Knapp came into the office. Her hands were depressingly empty.But in a strange twist of fate, it turned out that Ms. Knapp had, in fact, baked a delicious treat for us to devour…she had simply left it in her car!(To say that this development troubled me would be a severe understatement.)After a panic attack, a round of banging-my-head-against-the-wall, and a few moments of “please, please go get your treat!” Sarah returned to the office with a tray filled with chocolate-topped, cookie-bottomed cheesecake.And all has been well ever since.Follow me @LouisBedigian*No relation to this Jax or this one. Or this other one, for that matter. Not that we know of, at least.