The Shake Up

It sits in waiting, shining brightly in all its tightly-threaded glory adorned with that coveted 1st place stamp on its glossy front. People have slaved over it and fought over it and lost sleep over it! It is a symbol of recognition, sure to bring jealously to those whom do not claim its ownership. But for those who do, it is point of extreme pride. It is a royal blue reminder of their dominance over the competition, their success at their craft, and their place in the Kentucky State Fair’s rich history. It’s a blue ribbon for a winning entry. Let celebration ensue! Funnel cake anyone?

FOODIES UNITE!

Culinary is an art. Like picking between “Mona Lisa” and “The Starry Night”, finding a legitimate winner amongst a sea of deliciousness is a difficult task. Blood, sweat and tears, hopefully not literally, go into every cake, cookie, pie and pickle. Sure, they are all tasty in their own right, but what does it take for them to be a true blue winner?

Luckily, seasoned food veterans like Steve Lee are available to lend a helping taste in deciding who the best of the best is by following specific criteria for each category.

Lee, superintendent for the past 8 years, includes in the judging criteria texture, flavor, appearance, creativity, artistry, proper ingredient handling, and other categories depending on what type of food is being judged. The owner of “Cooking at the Cottage” on Lexington Road has had extensive culinary experience during his career. He is accompanied by 24 judges whom he picks based on their experience in individual fields.

“I work closely with the University of Kentucky Extension office,” said Lee. “They help me bring in judges from regions all over the state and surrounding areas.”

 Herbs and spices are Lee’s specialty and he said his particular joy lies in savory foods. Though he only judges during a tie-breaker, Lee admits there are certain events he tends to be present for.

“You can always find me hanging around the Benedictine Cheese Spread table during judging,” he said half-jokingly. “That is definitely one of my favorites.”

If Benedictine Cheese is not your thing, or you don’t know what Benedictine cheese is, go for one of the more popular categories.

“The most hotly-contested categories would have to be ‘My Favorite Cake’ and the ‘Salsa’ competitions,” Lee said.

There are two salsa categories, one with peppers and one without, but both are mainly dominated by male competitors. My favorite cake lets the participants creativity shine through with a unique recipe of their own.

“We once had a cake [topped ] with Jell-O and whipped cream,” Lee said.

Competition is plentiful in all the categories. But to win, you must make sure you are even considered. Lee said number one thing to consider when making an entry is easy to remember and basic as basil. In fact, you probably learned this helpful hint back in grade school:

“Read the rules,” Lee said. “We have so many entries that have to be disqualified each year simply because they did not read the rules.”

Imagine! Your tasty sponge cake sitting idly by on the table, watching all the other sponge cakes being judged and enjoyed simply because its pan circumference was an inch too large. So do yourself and your sponge cake a favor by familiarizing yourself with the restrictions.