I f you could get past the Ferris Wheel and assorted whirly gigs, make your way beyond the abundant a
rtery-clogging food offerings (“deep fried candy bars!”) and the odorous livestock exhibits you might have eventually wandered into the considerable Culinary Arts Pavilion at the 2011 Orange County Fair in Costa Mesa, California.
Among the displays showcasing this year’s entrants for the more traditional fair competitions was something new: a food blog competition! This year not only could you enter your usual jams and marmalades, cakes, cupcakes, biscuits, brownies, cookies, cheesecakes, relishes, and (yes!) table settings, this year you could actually enter your food blog. This year’s fair went high tech!
Those who looked closely at the wall display of blog winners would have seen that this here food blog thingy actually won the blue ribbon for “Personal Blog Post”! (As opposed to the “Instructional Blog Post” category.)
Submitting a post was as easy as choosing a post from the previous year, copy/pasting the link into an online submission form, and ponying up the measly $5 entry fee.
I had initially set out to enter a jar of “Honey Fig, Lemon, and Thyme Confiture” into one of the half dozen “Preserves” categories but when I saw the announcement heralding the inaugural food blog contest I knew I had to add one more category to my entry. After all, “why not Sis Boom Blog?”
OC Fair “Personal Blog Post” Winner
“Gerard’s Mustard Tart” was chosen for two reasons: 1) The recipe author, Dorie Greenspan herself appeared in the comments section so I figured that ought to be some sort of good luck and 2) my good friend and frequent commenter on this blog ‘anonymous –bg-’ suggested that it would be a great post to enter due to its more personal nature and lack of glaring grammar errors. I gave it a quick reread to assure myself it wasn’t full of the sometime innuendo and snark I often serve (no sense in embarrassing myself in my own hometown) and off it went to the judges.
I won! The prize included a blue ribbon, a complimentary ticket to the fair itself, and bragging rights for the year. My more snarky self even had to admit that the nod by the judges felt better than I would otherwise like to admit.
Next year I’m entering snark though. Get ready.
The Fig, Lemon, and Thyme Confiture didn’t do as well!
Wow! Congratulations. That’s a neat category addition to the fair. It’s good that you’re getting a little home town recognition for a blog well done.
Congratulations, Trevor!
Alex
Congratulations on your well deserved honor! 🙂
Keep writing posts like “Gerard’s Mustard Tart” and you will own that blue ribbon in perpetuity!
-bg
You are so awesome! Congratulations! I love that one of your Dorista posts won, too! What a great sense of accomplishment!
Rah, Rah, Sis Boom Blog!! Congrats!
Congratulations, Trevor! I think the honor is definitely deserved. I love the snark in your posts, though it seems it may be lost on the judges. Here’s to defending your title next year!
My mother always said that good grammar can get you really far in this life – and look! She was right! Congrats – you just won a *real* blogging award!!
CONGRATULATIONS! I can’t wait for your snarky entry next year! You did Dorie proud~
Wow…Congratulation’s Trevor!!!!
*sniffle*. I’m so proud. You’ve grown up to be a very talented blogger. I am surprised however that you did not win the title of Hog Queen (not that you need to lose any pounds). Perhaps next year. Dorie should know this ….great news! I hope you sent the link and can afford the entry free for next year as well! A big CONGRATS!!!
I think it is so wonderful that your fair is recognizing blogs and have them as a category. Congratulations on your win! It is so well-deserved. I am sure your Fig, Lemon, Thyme Confiture was ribbon worthy as well, Trevor. I hope you enter in both categories again next year!
Hooray for you! I think your blog is fabulous and they made a big mistake by not selecting your confiture too….next year, you will take it all.
Trevor, Congratulations!!! It is a well deserved honor…I so enjoy your writing! Looking forward to a snarky entry next year!
Trevor – That is just too cool. Oh – and there is nothing wrong with some well-placed snark. In fact, it’s encouraged… Like ice cream, the right kind of snark makes people smile 🙂
The honor goes to you because you write so darn good, I mean well… GREG
Hmmm … Trevor, you look nothing like any of the Hog Queens *I* have ever seen, and believe me, I have see plenty where I live. You are far too thin and handsome, you would never win. Sorry, it’s the truth. Stick to your strength’s!! Great food and delectable snark.
Very cool! A very well deserved honor- glad I came by to see what you’ve been cooking;-)
Great job! Congrats.
I judged the OC Fair Salsa competition last year but had no clue they had a “Best of Blogs” category. Perhaps next year I will enter a post 🙂
Oh wow, how exciting that your blog and post won this REAL award in your hometown! Winning this is much, much better than geting those snarky ones on your sidebar (Saveur Sites and James Beard Awards). For next year’s entry, bring the snark on, it’ll be like a breath of fresh air and you might win again ;-).
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