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The internet's premier web site
dedicated to competitive cooking and recipe contests.
Established in 1997
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2002 SOUTHERN LIVING COOK-OFF
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The Southern Living Cook-off is a prestigious annual event that features a whopping $100,000 Grand Prize. The 2002 event was held Sept. 27-28 at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Kissimmee, Fla. It was also hosted by NBC weatherman and "Today" show celeb Al Roker.
CCCentral had four members among the finalists: Diane Sparrow, of Osage, Iowa, who won one of the "Brand" prizes; Alex DeSantis, husband of CCC Member -- and therefore a member by default -- of Bethlehem, Pa.; Camilla Saulsbury, of Bloomington, Ind.; and Beth Royals, of Richmond, Va. The Grand Prize went to Ginnie Prater from Calhoun, Ga., for her Pecan Pie Cheesecake.
Here's a firsthand account from Beth Royals, who also provided the pictures:
"I was awestruck by how beautiful the hotel was, as well as the royal treatment we were given by SL. The SL staff had an orientation when we arrived, and they were not only extremely friendly but very well organized in their agenda. When we arrived in our rooms there was a duffle bag stitched with the cook-off logo and filled with all sorts of goodies... t-shirt, hat, cookbook, etc.
"Friday we prepared our recipes in a backstage kitchen. Each of us (in our categories) had their own stove and ingredients layed out, as well as a back up set of ingredients in case you goofed. We had 1 1/2 hours to prepare our meals then they were carried to the judges room by an SL person. We then rehearsed on stage for the "show" the next day, which was open to the public for $10.
"The next morning we had appointments at the spa to have hair and make-up done. All 15 of us stayed backstage in the "green room" and watched on a t.v. as each group of 3 finalists went on stage equipped with a microphone headset to prepare their dish. Each of us was paired with an SL person, experienced in demonstration, who did most of the talking as they quickly dumped ingredients in the bowl. Al Roker would come over from time to time and ask a question. He was very funny and made us all feel comfortable.
"The next morning was a beautiful brunch. They put the brand winner's names on a screen and we got to see Diane's name up there and we cheered. There was a gift wrapped present at each contestant's place setting which ended up being the photo of all of us with Al Roker they'd put into a silver frame. They also gave us large engraved copper mixing bowls, complete with stands. The SL people had thought of everything."
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Awarding the Brand prizes at the 2002 Southern
Living Cook-off. (Note CCC Member Diane Sparrow's
name up on the screen.)
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| A group shot of all the competitors.
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CCC members Beth Royals (left) of Richmond, Va.,
and Camilla Saulsbury of Bloomington, Ind.
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| Beth Royals shares the stage with NBC's Al Roker
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CCCentral member Shirley DeSantis and her
husband, Alex, who was one of the 15 Finalists.
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