Sunday, June 29, 2008

2008 Lehi Rodeo Round Up cook-Off ~ After the party

Howdy all,

I have to be honest... I was concerned about the Lehi cook-off this year. Because of the economy, some of my sponsors weren't able to be as generous as last year, and I had five teams drop out in the last couple of weeks.

Continuing the Honesty theme... I think the 2008 Lehi cook-off was the best damn cook-off I have every witnessed!

The first obvious difference this year was the 30 foot by 30 foot tent that the Hutchings Museum provided for the cook-off. They were also responsible for providing so many chairs and tables. Thanks to Val and Susan and the Lehi folks for providing such great shade and seating.

This year, I had six teams. All six competed at the Advanced level... even the team that has only competed in one other cook-off. The main dishes were so impressive, it took the judges just under an hour to judge just six dishes.

Looking at the scores (Excel sheet), you will see that the six teams were only separated by 18 points total. The top three teams were only one point away from each other. But, if you look at the scores per dish, you will see that the best dishes in each category really were scored much higher than the rest.

Lisa Blodgett's Key Lime Cheese Cake was nine points above. The Hair's Poppy-Cheese Bread Blossom was nine points above. Jared's Southwest Chipotle BBQ Ribs was fourteen points higher. The other dishes were awesome, but the best dishes really were The Best!!

All six teams did an amazing job... and any of these six teams stood a very good chance of winning. If one or to small things would have been different, the line up could have been completely different. All six teams should be VERY proud of what they accomplished yesterday. Every judge I talked to was impressed with the quality of dishes presented. Any of these six teams had a very good chance of winning.

Speaking of judges... wow! I had a total of NINE World Champs and two IDOS presidents (Kent Mayberry shares the joy of being both a champ and a president). To add to that list of Legends, I had Bakin Bill and DeeAnn Johnson. I am honored that these amazing people were willing to help me. I think that says a lot about the quality of the Lehi Cook-Off, and it makes me proud of what we've accomplished with this cook-off. My mom was pretty impressed, too. =0)

After the judges were done, I invited all the teams and sponsors to the judges tables to try each of the presented dishes. I really hoped that this would be similar to a DOG event where we were able able to socialize and talk about the dishes. It was great seeing a team sharing thoughts and ideas about the dishes right beside the past champ judges. I almost didn't want to break up the party, but I had to announce the winners at some point. No one was in a hurry to get their dishes off the judges tables.

Like I mentioned before, I was a little concerned about the prizes. BUT... and (like me) that is a big BUT... every team that entered walked away with over a hundred dollars in prize items. For a $10 entry fee, you got the chance to compete against some awesome cooks, you got the chance to rub shoulders with past and current champs, and you walked away with no less than a hundred dollars in prizes. I think that's a pretty good return. I would say the sponsors did a great job of supporting this cook-off and I thank each and every one of them!

I did the prizes a little different this year. Each team got aprons, cook books, seasonings, teas, and gloves. I had six prizes off to the side.. from a Lone Star Grill from Texaloy to an Edger from Home Depot. Each of the six teams, starting with the First Place team, got to choose one item from that pile. And... I had three prizes off to the side for the top three teams. I thought this was a unique way of offering prizes. It gave the teams a chance to choose an item instead of being stuck with what I thought they might want. I hope they appreciated that chance. It definitely made offering the prizes a lot more fun.

Another thing I found interesting... At past cook-offs, usually the teams and judges are ready to get home after a cook-off... especially in such high heat. Yesterday, many people stayed after to chat and help clean up. I was really amazed that so many people stayed just to socialize and help out. Another proud moment for me. It really was more like a competitive DOG event than a cook-off.

I have the Final Scores (Excel), images of the teams and presented dishes, and the Recipe Book posted on the chapter website. I have pictures posted on Picasaweb.google.com. I have comb bound cook-books for sale for any interested.

Again, I have to say this has been the best cook-off I have ever witnessed... if I do say so myself... and I just did. None of it would have been possible without the generosity of the sponsors, the support of the judges, and the ambition of the competing teams. I didn't make the cook-off a huge success... I just made the phone calls and sent out the emails. The teams, judges, and sponsors are responsible for just how great this cook-off was. I can't thank you enough!

THANKS!!

Ranes