Posted by The Tampa Tribune, FL on May 09, 2009 at 11:36:36:
By JEFF HOUCK | The Tampa Tribune
Published: May 8, 2009
The Disney animated movie "Alice in Wonderland" inspired Catherine Ralston to make the Queen of Hearts strawberry tart she entered in Hasbro's Easy-Bake 2009 Baker of the Year contest.
So it was fitting that the New Albany, Ohio, 12-year-old took home first prize Thursday during the toy oven cook-off against six other children at Disney's Grand Floridian Hotel.
The contest was held as part of the 45th anniversary of the Hasbro toy.
Ralston made her delicate tart with minimal help from a "sous chef," (her mom, Teresa), using a fan of fresh strawberries and a batch of Easy-Bake sugar cookie mix baked and sliced into heart shapes with a cookie cutter.
After a celebratory confetti shower and a round of hugs from her mom, fellow competitors and contest judges, Ralston said she was surprised she won.
"I thought I had a good recipe," she said, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes as she cradled her trophy. "I'm so happy right now."
Ralston's prize: a culinary-inspired trip for four to San Francisco, including stops at food-related sites and attractions.
Runners-up were Elizabeth Adams, 12, and her brother Adam, 9, from Elizabeth, W. Va.; Taylor Spallanzani, 11, of Morganville, N.J.; Hannah Toomey, 11, from Allentown, Pa.; MaCall Prengel, 10, of Olympia, Wash.; and Morgan Sartor, 8, from Portland, Conn. Each will receive a $500 gift card and a one-year supply of Easy-Bake mixes.
Joe Hardiman, president of the Orlando Culinary Academy Le Cordon Bleu Program, was on a six-member panel that picked the winner. Hardiman especially liked the hint of lemon in Ralston's dessert.
He said some might wonder why a professional chef would want to judge the contest.
"This is where it all starts," he said while remarking how impressed he was by the technique and focus of the contestants. "There's a potential culinary career here."
The idea is not so farfetched. Chefs Bobby Flay, Rick Bayless and Cat Cora each have cited the influence the toy ovens had on their own interest in cooking.
Prior to the naming of the winner, Hardiman said he had only one wish.
"I don't want anyone to start crying," he said.
There's no crying in baking, right?
"Not in the kitchen," he said. "You wait until you get into the walk-in cooler."
Winning the title was anything but a cakewalk for Ralston. In addition to cooking with ovens that she hadn't used before, she also accidentally cut the pinky on her left hand while slicing the strawberry garnish.
"She practiced for months for this," Teresa Ralston said. "I was the one who was nervous."
Staff writer Jeff Houck can be reached at (813) 259-7324.
FOLLOW UP POSTS ARE NOT PERMITTED - DO NOT COMPLETE & SUBMIT FORM