Posted by The Oklahoman, OK on May 01, 2008 at 11:42:15:
Oklahomans test their cooking skills in competitions
By Sharon Dowell
Food Editor
April has been busy for Oklahoma cooks — amateur and professional — who took part in contests and events locally and outside the state. Here's a rundown of our state's culinary stars and the events:
Brenda Washburn of Enid won a day in the Nestle USA Baking Test Kitchen, baking alongside Nestle food experts. It was the first time the kitchen was open to a consumer, Nestle officials said. Washburn had registered online for a $5,000 prize package that included the trip for two to Solon, Ohio, a chance to share her own baking ideas with Nestle food experts, cooking for a taste-test panel and receiving cookbooks, aprons and cooking utensils.
"Everybody should get to do this,” Washburn said. "It was so much fun. It was just like cooking with friends.”
Leah Lyon and her 7-year-old daughter Dawsyn of Ada competed in the AirBake Extreme Cookie Challenge after creating Ginger Snappin' Turtle Cookies for a contest judged by FAO Schwarz toy store patrons in New York City. The duo handed out 350 cookies in two hours.
"We had lots of fun,” Leah Lyon said. "We were giving out cookies left and right.” However, the contest proved to be exhausting for Lyon's young daughter, who was on her first trip to New York. The winning recipe was Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cones, entered by a team from Maryland who won the $10,000 grand prize. The Lyons' received a $1,000 savings bond as runner up.
Sherrie Reid of Jenks and Jennifer Howeth of Newcastle won the chance to compete in the 43rd Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest in Dallas. Reid prepared a pizza recipe, while Howeth created a dessert recipe. The $1 million winner was a Maryland woman who prepared Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies, a simple recipe using convenience products.
In the professional arena, David Sullivan, executive chef at Oak Tree Country Club, Edmond, won a $3,000 cash prize, trophy and gift certificates in the sixth annual Oswalt Culinary Cook-Off, held during the Oklahoma Restaurant Association Convention and Expo in Oklahoma City. Taking second place was Rob Ferris of Chefs di Domani at the Culinary Institute at Platt College; he won $1,500, a medal and gift certificates. Each chef had one hour to prepare a meal using ingredients from a mystery basket that included red snapper, flounder, milkfish, oysters and periwinkle snails.
John Flottman of Ideas in Ice won top honors in the Oswalt Ice Carving Competition during the state restaurant convention. He received $1,500 cash, a trophy, gift certificates and the chance to compete in the 2008 National Ice Carving Classic at the National Restaurant Association Hotel-Motel Show in Chicago from May 17-20. Each contestant had 90 minutes to carve a design from a 300-pound block of ice.
Recipes for the Lyons' Ginger Snappin' Turtle Cookies; Sherrie Reid's Creamy Chicken Marsala Pizza; Jennifer Howeth's Spiced Creamy Caramel-Peanut Torte; and the Pillsbury $1 million winning cookie recipe were published in The Oklahoman and are online at NewsOK.com in the recipe archives. Video of the Oswalt Ice Carving Competition is also on NewsOK.com.