Family Heirloom Recipes Competition, 2012
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin
Pork Chile Tamales with Tomatillo Salsa Verde, First Prize, Brenda Bustillos of Crocker, Missouri (image by Josephine Hyde)
Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance is dedicated to exploring, celebrating and preserving unique food traditions and their cultural contexts in the American Midwest. By hosting public events, developing archival resources and generating publications, the Alliance celebrates the distinctiveness of a region that is as varied in tastes and traditions as it is in its geography from the Great Lakes to the Great Plains. Exploring indigenous foods like Wisconsin cranberries and Minnesota walleye, celebrating iconic flavors like the wheat and corn from across the prairies, chronicling cuisines from Native American to early European immigrants to 21st-century newcomers, or highlighting fish boils in small towns and fine dining big cities, the Alliance promotes and chronicles the diversity of the region’s culinary character.
Our Family Heirloom Recipe competition seeks your best made from scratch heirloom recipe suitable for a family or community dinner. To encourage delving deep into your family’s culinary history, please submit family recipes prior to 1950. We look forward to learning about and tasting your treasured foods.
PRIZE money sponsored by state-by-state by either FeedstuffsFoodLink.com or The Spice House (www.TheSpiceHouse.com) :
1st place – $150., 2nd place – $100., 3rd place – $50
Pampered Chef is sponsoring additional prizes for our winners:
First place: Reversible Bamboo Carving Board (Value = $72)
Second place: Cool & Serve Square Tray, Outdoor Mini Spoons & Tongs Set (Value = $49)
Third place: Food Chopper (Value = $31)
JUDGING CRITERIA
Taste 50%, History 40%, Appearance 10%
CONTEST REQUIREMENTS
• Enter your best made-from-scratch family heirloom recipe suitable for a family or community dinner. Recipe should be from before 1950.
• Entrants must be at least 18 years of age; one entry per person. Contestants who participated before may not resubmit previously entered recipes.
• Each entry must be replicable from the recipe submitted. If an ingredient requires a recipe (for example, Jerry’s famous sausage), please include it.
• Every ingredient must be listed with exact measurements (no rounded teaspoons, etc.) and the type of ingredient (example: self-rising flour) must be specified. No mixes may be used, such as a cake or bread mix. Follow general proper recipe procedure, listing all steps of preparation, pan sizes, temperature and baking time.
• Entries must be typed on 8-1/2 x 11 inch paper. On one page provide the recipe and contestant’s name, age at time of contest, address, phone number and email address. On a separate sheet(s) present the recipe’s history. You may include who passed the recipe down to you, ethnicity (if relevant), number of years the recipe has been in your family and any interesting information about its place in your family’s traditions. Note the history accounts for 40% of the score so be sure to do justice to your recipe’s story. Please consult www.GreaterMidwestFoodways.com under the ‘events’ tab for examples of recipes and their histories..
• By submitting your entry, you accept official rules and agree to be bound by the judges’ decisions, which will be final. You also agree that your recipe and history narrative will become the property of Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance, which reserves the right to edit, adapt, copyright, publish and use without compensation to you.
• By participating, contestants also understand and accept the right of Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance to use contestant names, photos, history narratives and recipes for publicity without compensation.
• Each winning entry will shown in a display case (18” x 18”). Your product should be displayed simply though attractively, with the use of props, such as a copy of the original recipe, photographs, placemat, napkins, glassware or flowers.
• Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance is not responsible for lost or illegible recipes, nor is the fair.
• Taxes on prizes are the responsibility of the winner.
• Recipes from the Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance website (GreaterMidwestFoodways.com) are not eligible for entry in this contest.
Illinois State Fair:
Competition: Saturday August 11, check in: 2:00 – 3:00 pm, judging commences at 3:00 pm, awards 5:15 pm
– Premium book: , page 105-106
– Application form, deadline is July 15th,:
– Exhibitor card, submitted with application.
Premiums sponsored in partnership with The Spice House 
Indiana State Fair
Competition: Friday, August 10, check in: 1 pm to 3 pm at the Culinary Arts Northeast Entrance. Open contest judging begins at 3:00 pm at the Ellison Bakery Culinary Kitchen.
– Premium book: http://www.in.gov/statefair/fair/contests/files/Dept114.pdf see page 178 of pdf “Department 114: Home and Family Arts”
– Application online http://indianastatefaironline.com/ , deadline is July 1 (with late fees by July 2-17)
Premiums sponsored in partnership with FeedstuffsFoodLink.com
Iowa State Fair:
Competition: Sunday, August 12, judging begins at 2:00 pm
Premium book:
– General rules http://www.iowastatefair.org/downloads/competition/premium-books/food-general-rules-23.pdf,
– Heirloom recipe competition http://www.iowastatefair.org/downloads/competition/premium-books/food-part-4-div-163-239-23.pdf see page 54 pdf
Application form, deadline postmarked by July 1 (with late fees by July 8):
– On-line: https://www.iowastatefairentry.org/login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fdefault.aspx
– Or print form to mail in: http://www.iowastatefair.org/downloads/competition/premium-books/entry-form-22.pdf
Premiums sponsored in partnership with FeedstuffsFoodLink.com
Kansas State Fair:
Competition: Saturday, September 8, 2012, receiving from 11:00 am – Noon, Live judging begins 12:30 pm.
Family Heirloom Competition https://kansasstatefair.com/registration/competitioninfo.php?sect=555
Apply online commencing June 1st.
Premiums sponsored in partnership with FeedstuffsFoodLink.com
Minnesota State Fair:
Competition: Sunday, August 19, check-in 8:00 – 11:00 am. Bring food cold, they will be reheated before judging. Judging is closed to the public.
Premium book http://www.mnstatefair.org/_assets/pdf/competition/creative_acts_baking_pb.pdf pages 39-40
Apply online http://www.mnstatefair.org/register/competition/ , deadline is August 7th by 4:30 pm Central time.
Premiums sponsored in partnership with FeedstuffsFoodLink.com
Missouri State Fair:
Competition: Saturday, August 13, check in: 2 pm.
– Premium book: see page 4 of pdf
http://www.mostatefair.com/premium-guide/2011%20PremiumPDFs/food.pdf
– Application form, deadline is July 20 pr $10 late fee until July 29: http://www.mostatefair.com/Entry%20Blanks/home_economics_entryblank.pdf
– Recipe form: http://www.mostatefair.com/Entry%20Blanks/recipe_form.pdf
Premiums sponsored in partnership with FeedstuffsFoodLink.com
Ohio State Fair:
Competition: Saturday, July 28, check-in 3:00 – 4:00 pm, Open judging commencing at 4:00 pm in the
Premium book: http://www.ohiostatefair.com/osf/downloadbooks/specialevents/2012/2012Food.pdf– see page 12 for information.
Application form, deadline is June 20th.
To print out form for mail-in application.
Please DO NOT USE Ohio State Fair’s recipe form. Type or print your recipe on white paper.
Premiums sponsored in partnership with FeedstuffsFoodLink.com
South Dakota State Fair:
Competition: Sunday September 2 at 11:30 am in Women’s Building Auditorium
Premium book, pages 37-38
There is no fee to participate in this contest. While pre-registration is not necessary, it is encouraged as it helps with the preparation and coordination of the event. Pre-registration is open until Friday, August 24. After that, if you wish to participate and have not pre-registered, simply show up at the listed times.
Premiums sponsored in partnership with FeedstuffsFoodLink.com
Wisconsin State Fair:
Competition, Sunday, August 5th, check in 7:30 am to 8:30 am, Judging will commence at 10:00 am.
Premium book, pages 18-19
Online application form, deadline is June 12th at 7:00 pm Central time (late entry is June 26):
Premiums sponsored in partnership with The Spice House