In addition to smiles and handshakes, D.C. Council hopefuls were asked to bring dessert for a potluck meal to the Meridian Park Ward 1 forum on Aug. 13. Hector Rodriguez says it typically takes him an hour and a half to make flan himself, so he let Haydees, a Mount Pleasant Street eatery, prepare it. Dee Hunter and Shelore Williams both opted for sweet-potato pie; Williams worked from a family recipe, whereas Hunter relied on Henry’s Delicatessen Carry Out on U Street—in the candidate’s words, “one of the best sweet-potato pies in the city.” But not in Ward 1: Henry’s jumped wards when redistricting broke up U Street, an event for which Hunter blames incumbent Jim Graham. “I fought that tooth and nail,” Graham counters. “Let him eat cake.” Graham proffered a $60, five-layer, nine-inch Heavenly Haze cake donated by CakeLove. —Joe Dempsey