Posted by Dallas Morning News, TX on September 29, 2009 at 13:39:58:
Chefs' drive to compete spices up State Fair cooking contests
By ERIC AASEN / The Dallas Morning News
eaasen@dallasnews.com
They're admitted addicts, driven by the desire for that highest of highs: the blue ribbon.
A blue ribbon for best casserole was on the line Monday at the State Fair, where judges Donna Fyffe and Jarrod Kastanek prepared to sample a chicken casserole. 'The person who wins is the person who found the salt shaker,' one judge said. The cooks who gather day after day in the Contest Kitchen at the State Fair of Texas don't try to hide their addiction.
They can't help but cook, and the daily cooking contests only fuel their craving to get in the kitchen.
On Monday, their contest of choice: Creating a gooey, cheesy casserole – that quintessential national dish as American as baseball, apple pie and state fairs.
"You get one ribbon and you get hooked," said Brenda Simpson of Irving. "You're downhill after that."
A handful of competitors, mostly women, brought in homemade vegetable, chicken and meat casseroles to be judged in the Creative Arts Building.
Simpson waited for the results of the All-American Casseroles Contest with a few other women, all of whom are regular competitors and see one another in the fair's kitchen each year.
Simpson rattled off the ribbons she's earned, including first place for a sweet potato pie.
"But that was in the past," she said. "We're concentrating on this year. You want to add more ribbons to put on your pile."
For Judith Faulkner, there's no need to be modest.
"We've all won mucho ribbons," the Allen resident bragged.
For these State Fair cooks, cooking and competing comes before anything else. Simpson takes off two weeks from work just to enter the contests.
"My family gets put on hold during the fair," Faulkner said.
It takes Peggy Woodard up to 90 minutes to get from her home in Greenville to Fair Park, a trip she makes many days during the fair.
"You have to be dedicated," she said.
There are more than 20 cooking contests during the fair, including those for the best cookies, candy, cakes, breads, eggs and Tex-Mex.
Today, it's all about cheese, as judges award ribbons for best cheese appetizer, cheese soup, cheese entrée, cheese dessert and cheesecake.
A few dozen casseroles were entered Monday, but competitors said that's nothing compared to the hundreds submitted for pies, cakes and other sweet treats.
As the judges sampled the casseroles, the cooks reflected on the dish's simplicity.
Faulkner was 12 when she made her first casserole, chicken with rice and cream of mushroom soup. On Monday, she entered a Yukon gold potato casserole with butter, heavy cream, Gruyere cheese and rosemary.
Casseroles are appealing because "you dump everything in it – anything you've got," said Phyllis Rodriguez of Dallas, who whipped up a chicken casserole with asparagus, eggs, shi*take mushrooms and breadcrumbs.
While casseroles are nice, the cooks prefer showing off their skills in the baking categories. They also try to earn ribbons in other creative arts competitions, including those for canned vegetables and jams.
"Good Southern girls can all year," Woodard said.
For these chefs, cooking is a passion, a pleasure they pursue every day. Besides earning ribbons, they're rewarded by satiated families and friends who happily devour their dishes.
Rodriguez, who was 3 when her mother died, remembers seeing other mothers cook for their children and thinking: "Wow, when I'm a mom, I'm going to make everything for my kids."
As they talked, they eyed the judges to see when their casseroles were being tasted. They like to watch the judges' faces as they eat, although some have poker faces.
"You learn to read lips," Woodard said.
The judges awarded the top casserole prize, best in show, to Paula Skelton for her Chicken Spaghetti Casserole.
Judging standards for Jamie Samford, one of the judges, were simple: The casserole has to taste and look good. It must have a variety of textures – not entirely mushy or crunchy. And there has to be flavor.
"Seasoning is a challenge," said Samford, sales and marketing manager for Winn Meat Co. "The person who wins is the person who found the salt shaker."
Woodard earned a third-place ribbon for her Italian sausage casserole with ziti, parmesan and cheddar cheese.
After the winners were announced and the applause subsided, the competitors covered their casseroles with foil, dropped their dishes in coolers and bins and hauled away the goods.
There was no time for corny dogs or midway rides. It was time to collect their ribbons, go home and get ready for the next cooking contest.
"Any day you get a ribbon," Woodard said, "is a good day."
FOLLOW UP POSTS ARE NOT PERMITTED - DO NOT COMPLETE & SUBMIT FORM