At Avita of Stroudwater in Westbrook, the latest fundraiser for Alzheimer’s research will come in the sweetest form – whoopie pies.

Sixteen bakers will try their hand Friday at the official state treat, the whoopie pie, at an event at the memory care facility off Spring Street.

Dubbed the “Battle of the Whoopies” bake sale, the treats will be judged by a venerable group of local pros – including Amy Bouchard, the owner of Wicked Whoopies, and Stacy Begin, the owner of Two Fat Cats Bakery in Portland.

Lea Rust, the director of marketing at Avita, said Monday that ever since the grand opening of the memory care facility in 2013, the kitchen has been serving whoopie pies to visitors and residents under the direction of Avita’s director of dining, James Bell.

The output has seemingly created a lingering taste for whoopie pies among families associated with Avita of Stroudwater. According to Bell, who will also be serving as a judge at the event, the kitchen has created a different batch of whoopie pies for visitors in each of the facility’s 15 months in operation.

“Our family members have become accustomed to it, and they look forward to the beginning of each month and seeing something new,” he said, referring to the treats being offered in the facility’s lobby.

Since that time, Rust has also organized a number of fundraisers for Alzheimer’s research, including silent auctions and craft fairs. In 2014, the center raised roughly $10,000 for Alzheimer’s research.

This time, she said, she and Bell wanted to “do something outside the box of your average chili cookoff or bake sale.”

Rust said many of this Friday’s participants are already dedicated to memory care or senior and assisted living.

Travis Beaulieu, the marketing manager for Black Bear Medical in Portland, also has his team participating for the cause. Beaulieu serves on a board sub-committee for the Maine chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association (the recipient of the fundraiser), and says that at Black Bear Medical, he sees what the disease does to individuals and their families.

He said a member of his team, Carol Doughty, is whipping up whoopie pies for their group.

“The key to a great whoopie pie is practice, lots of taste testing, and of course, the ‘bear’ essentials,” he said.

Another team leader (and Rust’s husband), Turner Rust, has personal experience in the difficulties of Alzheimer’s and its effect on family members. He is the chef at Park Danforth senior housing in Portland, and says he’s participated in other Alzheimer’s fundraisers outside of Avita as an homage to his grandfather.

“It happened at a time when I don’t think Alzheimer’s was getting the amount of attention it does now,” he said, referring to his grandfather’s diagnosis. “It was very confusing.”

Rust said his experiences with his grandfather have led to his involvement in Avita fundraisers, but he’s also crafted cupcakes, chili and chowder for other causes.

“Any time I can get my guys psyched about doing something outside the norm, and for a good cause, it’s a no-brainer for us,” he said.

Without giving too much away, Rust said two of his cooks at Park Danforth are each coming up with a batch of pies. For Rust, a good whoopie pie has to be a combination of flavor and texture, or “crumb,” as he called it. He also wants to see something different.

“One of them is kind of a flip-flop on the classic, and the other is really out of left-field,” he said, adding that he and the cooks were experimenting with the cake Monday afternoon.

In 2011, the Maine Legislature voted to make the whoopie pie the official “treat” of the state. Blueberry pie was already the official “dessert” of the state of Maine.

Leading up to Friday, Bell has given some thought to what he’ll look for in whoopie pies during the taste tests. He said that in the past, his chef background led him to focus more on savory rather than sweet. But, he said, now he appreciates both.

“It’s been fun,” he said, about coming up with sweets at Avita. “I’m all about creativity.”

He said a creative flair will drive his choices for best whoopie pie Friday.

“It has to have a good visual appeal, and have a good flavor profile, but I’m one that looks for creativity,” he said, giving a salted caramel and bacon whoopie pie as an example. “Then you’re bringing savory flavors into a sweet competition,” he said.

Each participant will arrive Friday with a baker’s dozen of their whoopie pie creation – one for the judges’ tasting and critique and the remaining 12 to be sold after the winners are announced during a whoopie pie sale that is open to the public.

According to Lea Rust, some of the residents at Avita will also be casting votes for a “residents choice award,” which will take place before judging.

“I’m eager and excited to see the displays and creations of our contestants,” she said. “These types of events are always fun.”

Turner Rust said Monday he and his cooks would continue to perfect their recipe as the week went on. He said that in an attempt to get creative, a particular new ingredient was proving problematic.

“It’s having a funky effect on the way they’re baking up,” he said. “We’re going to keep trying, and we have some different ingredients coming in tomorrow that we can play with.”

On Tuesday, Park Danforth cook Ried Snyder was putting together the pies, and cut one in quarters for taste testing. A fellow cook walked back and said, “I think it needs more filling.”

Ried Snyder, a cook at Park Danforth in Portland, ices a whoopie pie Tuesday during a taste test leading up to the “Battle of the Whoopies” contest Friday at Avita of Stroudwater in Westbrook. Sixteen bakers within Greater Portland will try to wow judges with their concoctions, while raising money for Alzheimer’s research. Staff photos by Andrew RiceFilling is piped onto a whoopie pie half by Ried Snyder.