Professional and amateur bakers from across the country gathered at Pier 38 on October 4th to participate in the third annual San Francisco CupcakeCamp and share their unique cupcake recipes with a crowd of hungry locals.

The brainchild of digital anthropologist Ariel Waldman and friends, CupcakeCamp is based on the BarCamp format of user-generated technology conferences which began to appear in 2005. Playfully referred to by participants like Waldman as an "unconference," BarCamps are intended to encourage professionals with similar interests to gather, share and learn from each other in a relaxed environment.

"CupcakeCamp really grew out of the tech scene," says Waldman. "It started as a way for shy technology people who share similar interests to get together, swap stories and eat cupcakes."

In the spirit of open-source collaboration everyone is welcome at CupcakeCamp; this year more than 700 people packed into a cramped warehouse space (provided by local start-up Automattic) to wait in line for a sample of exotic cupcakes from a number of California bakers. Representatives from professional bakeries competed alongside amateur pastry makers to take home a gift basket prize awarded for the best Halloween cupcake, best decorated, best unique ingredients, or best breakfast-inspired creation.

"It's not really about the competition, it's more about swapping recipes and sharing flavors," said Kelly Ng, a senior at the University of California San Francisco and runner-up winner for best breakfast-inspired cupcake. "I'm a pre-med student, and I really just do this to keep from killing myself while I apply to medical school."

Those looking for a cheap and delicious way to spend a Sunday afternoon should take the opportunity to attend a CupcakeCamp while they remain free; the idea has spread from San Francisco to New York City and across the world to countries like Australia and the United Kingdom, but with the growing popularity Waldman is not certain how long the event can continue to be free.

"I hope there's another year of CupcakeCamp, but it is hard to keep it going because it's free so we can't compensate people for their time," worries Waldman. "Our format may have to change to maintain the philosophy of keeping it free so that the community can still participate."

For more information and a guide to starting your own CupcakeCamp, visit http://cupcakecamp.org/.