With Mother’s Day this weekend, I wanted to introduce a very special guest blogger here on the CCC blog – my mom, Debbie Vanni!  She has been an accomplished contester for over 30 years and currently writes on her blog, “The Culinary Cellar.”  

For as long as I can remember we have shared not only a love for cooking, but also a passion for cooking contests.  She wrote this story about the unique bond mothers and daughters share when it comes to contesting.  

(Vanni Family at the 1986 Pillsbury Bake-Off)

Julia Child said, “Learn how to cook – try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all- have fun!”  That about sums up the life of mother-child culinary competition adventures.  Our CCC family has many parent-child partners in our competitive cooking world.  We have had father-daughter, daughter-granddaughter, mother-son, mother-grandson, and many mother-daughters. Since Mother’s Day is almost here, and I have the personal experience of mother-daughter cooking, I thought it would be fun to find out about other mother-daughter experiences from two of our CCC members, Teri Ralston and her two daughters, Catherine and Sarah; and Jeanette Nelson and her daughter, Alexis.

(Teri Ralston with daughter Sarah at the London Olympics.  Teri with daughter Catherine at the National Beef Cook-Off.
Teri and Catherine at the Easy Bake Oven Baker of the Year Contest.)

Teri Ralston says that spending time in the kitchen with her daughters is priceless and she cherishes the countless memories.  Their amazing contest wins have taken them from FAO Schwartz toy store in New York City to the London Olympics.  Teri and Catherine won the trip to New York; competed in the National Beef Cook-Off in Chicago together in the “Kids in the Kitchen” category, and in a child’s dream come true, Catherine won the “Easy Bake Oven Baker of the Year” and was honored as the Grand Marshall of the Disney World Magic Kingdom Parade.  Daughter Sarah was named a “McDonald’s Happy Meal Chef” that won the trip to the London Olympics, where she competed and won the contest, and was named “McDonald’s Global Champion of Food.” Sarah also won a $2,500 college scholarship in a contest sponsored by Jif peanut butter for making a creative sandwich.  I think we will be hearing from this family for a long time to come!

(Jeanette Nelson and daughter Alexis in Washington D.C.
Alexis with White House Chef, Sam Kass)

Jeanette Nelson’s daughter, eleven-year-old Alexis, already has developed a sophisticated palate with an appreciation of good food.  Jeanette says she loves their time in the kitchen together with nothing to interrupt them – no video games, no homework, no texting – just the two of them inventing recipes.  Now that is one focused eleven-year-old!  Watching Jeanette win contests such as the Dole Grill Cook-Off, an NFL Recipe Showdown, a Klondike Potato contest, the People’s Choice winner at the Build a Better Burger Contest, and many, many more, encouraged Alexis to enter “The Healthy Lunchtime Challenge and Kid’s State Dinner” contest with the prize of a trip to the White House!  First Lady Michelle Obama, the Department of Education, and Epicurious invited children 8 to 12 years of age from all fifty states to create their best original recipes.  Alexis and her sophisticated palate won her state of West Virginia with “Golden Moroccan Butternut Stew.”  What a thrill for them to attend a White House function!  Jeanette says that their shared love of cooking has brought them closer together than any other activity, and that’s why she encourages parents to let their kids loose in the kitchen.  I think Julia would approve.

(Kristina Vanni at the 1992 Pillsbury Bake-Off)

When my daughter Kristina was growing up, there were not many contests just for children.  But there was the Pillsbury Bake-Off.  When Kristina was a toddler, her favorite “toy” was a bag of Pillsbury flour.  I would put the flour in a bowl and she would play with it endlessly, like white sand.  I think she was destined to be a Bake-Off contestant- and she was- twice.  I have also been a two-time contestant and our family attended the contests together, along with many other contests over the years, which certainly helped instill the love of cooking and fun into both my girls.  Back then, one could be as young as ten years old to enter the Bake-Off.  Kristina was selected as a contestant at age twelve.  She won $2,000 at this contest and to this day, she holds the honor of being the youngest money winner in Bake-Off history. Her second time was as a college student and her dish was featured on the cover of the Bake-Off contest book.  Later Kristina won $10,000 at the National Beef Cook-Off; won the “America’s Next Pork Personality” contest; was named the “Hot New Chef” at the National Restaurant Association Show, and as most of you know, now the owner of Cooking Contest Central.  She has come a long way since playing with a bag of flour!

(Kristina at the Pork Personality Contest)

Julia Child also said, “Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.”  I think we have all found that here, and I look forward to hearing about many more CCC members cooking and winning with their children.

-Debbie Vanni

TheCulinaryCellar.com

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