Try to convince Stephanie Frigon that cupcakes just aren’t that popular anymore, and you’ve got your work cut out for you. The cupcake lover, who works as a letter carrier for Canada Post, is organizing the third annual Cupcake Throwdown from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday (February 16) at Chapel Arts (304 Dunlevy Street).

“My motto is kind of bringing the community together through culinary adventures,” Frigon told the Georgia Straight. “I just thought, what a better adventure than a cupcake competition.”

This year, the Cupcake Throwdown features more than 20 bakers from around Metro Vancouver, ranging from hobby bakers, small business owners, and more established businesses such as Organic Lives.

“I got Organic Lives to join this year, so there will be a raw, vegan, gluten-free cupcake for all the people out there who would normally say they can’t eat cupcakes,” Frigon said.

Each baker will bring around 100 samples, and a $10 entry fee gives attendees five tasting tickets (additional tasting tickets can be purchased for $1) and a ballot to vote for their favourite cupcake.

“It’s a democratic cupcake competition, where people walk around and taste cupcakes and submit their ballots,” Frigon said. “At the end of the night, there’s a first, second, and third prize, and I also have some really great prizes this year for the raffle, which is a new addition.”

All of the proceeds from the Cupcake Throwdown will go to H.A.V.E. Culinary Training, an organization in the Downtown Eastside that provides job skills and work opportunities in the food services industry to individuals who experience barriers to employment.

“I was delivering mail in the Downtown Eastside to H.A.V.E. and thought, wow this is a really great organization,” Frigon said. “My mom was diagnosed with cancer three years ago, and she lives in Ontario, so I just had all this energy and not knowing what to do with it, but feeling like I had to do something. It was just a coping mechanism at the time to keep busy and not go crazy.”

In its first year, Frigon managed to raise $1,000 with a small group of bakers. Last year, the Cupcake Throwdown was held at Café Deux Soleil, a venue that held only 100 people, and Frigon raised $2,000 for H.A.V.E. This year, Frigon is hoping that the event will attract double the number of attendees and raise more than $2,500.

“Vancouver has so much to offer in terms of foodies and culinary arts. It’s just a rich city as far as food goes,” Frigon said. “Everyone’s trying to say macarons are the new cupcakes, but I don’t believe it for a minute. I think that cupcake is still king.”

You can follow Michelle da Silva on Twitter at twitter.com/michdas.