Beth Royals has been passionate about cooking and baking for as long as she can remember. Her parents encouraged her participation in the kitchen and she made the association early on that cooking for others is an act of love and the best way she knew to give of herself. She began baking with her 4 year old son and as a result stumbled upon an ad for a “Cooking with Kids” contest. When she won the grand prize in early 2002 she was immediately hooked on contesting. “I’d always enjoyed developing my own recipes and experimenting with different taste/texture combinations, so I felt contesting might be a good fit.”
NOTABLE WINS:
2002
Grand Prize, Gilroy Garlic Festival Cook-Off – $1,000
Finalist/Brand Prize Winner, Southern Living Cook-Off – $1,000/$1,000
Grand Prize, Nick Jr. Magazine’s Cooking with Kids Contest
Grand Prize, Carr’s Cookie Contest
Finalist, America’s Greatest Cheese Lover Contest
Grand Prize, Richmond Times-Dispatch Deviled Egg Contest;
1st Place, Keebler’s Top-it-and-Win Contest – Refrigerator
Grand Prize, Baker’s Chocolate Contest
Grand Prize, Richmond Times-Dispatch Perfect Pound Cake Contest
Grand Prize, Ukrop’s Supermarket Holiday Recipe Contest – $500
Third Place, Child Magazine’s Cookie Contest
2003
Grand Prize, Quaker Oats Search for the Ultimate Oatmeal Cookie – $6,000
Grand Prize, French’s Crunch & Say Cheese – Digital Camera
Honorable mentions (2), GoldKist Farms Chicken
Finalist, McCormick “Blend to Win” Contest
Runner-up, 2003 & 2004 Nestle Chocolate/ Betters Homes Contest
2004
Finalist, Pillsbury Bake-Off
Grand Prize, Redwood Creek Local Flavors of America Cook-Off – $25,000
Quarterly Finalist, 2004 & 2005 Mama Mary’s Pizza – Espresso Maker
2005
Finalist National Chicken Cook-Off
Finalist, National Beef Cook-Off
Grand Prize, Emeril’s/Good Morning America – Trip to NYC
Grand Prize, Cooking Pleasures Magazine Quick & Easy Entrees Contest – $5,000
Runner-up, Taste of Home Quick n’ Easy Contest
2006
Finalist, Pillsbury Bake-Off
Finalist, Wearever Bakeware Wackiest Cookie parent/child Cook-Off
Semi-finalist, Edward’s Pies
2007
Grand Prize, Crisco Country Cook-Off – $10,000
1st Place, Family Circle 75th Anniversary Recipe Contest – $1,000
Finalist, Very Vidalia Recipe Contest
Finalist, Ultimate Krispy Kreme Doughnut Recipe Contest
2008
Finalist, Cake-Mate “Mother of all Bake Sales” Contest – $1,000 & $1,000 to charity
Honorable Mention, Betty Crocker Cookie Contest
Finalist, Lucky Leaf Cook-off – Trip to Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen
2009
Grand Prize Winner, Terlato Wines “Napa Holiday” Contest – Trip to Napa
Finalist, French’s Fried Onion Contest
2010
Grand Prize, Bass Pecan – $1,000
Finalist, Hungary Jack Use Up the Box Contest
Grand Prize, Belle Chevre – Trip to Belle Chevre Creamery
Runner Up, National Oyster Festival
Finalist, Good Housekeeping Cook Your Heart Out Cook-off
Finalist, National Cornbread Festival
2011
Finalist, Kozy Shack Recipe Showdown
Runner Up, National Oyster Festival
2012
Grand Prize, Richmond Magazine – Richmond Cooks with C.F. Sauer Cook-off
2014
Pillsbury Bake-Off $1,000,000 Grand Prize winner!
FAVORITE PRIZE: “My favorite trip was to the Gilroy Garlic Festival where I was able to see my sister who lives on the west coast. My favorite prize was a glass cake dome with a hand-painted saying on it from an interview I’d done with our local food editor: ‘Life is like a piece of cake, even when it’s bad, it’s good'”.
ADVICE: “Take a look at past winning recipes for a particular sponsor and analyze what they all have in common. Do the titles have a gourmet ring and include complex ingredients or do they lean toward homestyle recipes with minimal steps/ingredients? Don’t be let down if you don’t win. In the worst case you may have come up with a dish that will become a family favorite for years to come.”
FORUM NICKNAME: Beth Royals
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