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I was going to blog about the definition of "design" or the end of Pandora, but those will have to wait. Glory awaits. A team of chocolate "experts" have been scouring the globe to find the world's greatest brownie and now that we have an impressive roster of candidates, we can now begin.

We're also proud to announce that this event is being co-sponsored with Cold Mud. Cold Mud is a cool food news portal based in Australia.

And now, the opening ceremonies! (insert bombastic trumpet music here). Here are the competitors so far:

• Dancing Deer Baking Co. (Chocolate Chunk)
• Mari's New York. ("Classic")
• Chocolate Room
• Pret A Manger Brownie
• New York Brownies
• Geoff & Drew's Brownies
• Schmerty's

It is not too late to recommend another competitor for the Cold Mud Brownie Olympics. Just email me if you're interested in competing. Just a few things to keep in mind:

• They have to be brownies. Not fudge. Not chocolate cake. Not scones (what the hell is a scone anyway?).
• No home recipes or homemade brownies. We're looking for only commercially available brownies that ideally can be ordered online or by phone.
• No flavored brownies. This is a controversial rule. We're looking for chocolate perfection. So please hold the raspberry, caramel, walnut, etc. We do accept chocolate chunks/chips and the like.

So who will be the Michael Phelps of brownies? Stay tuned!