36th
Annual California Strawberry Festival
By FBWorld Team
Two
finalists were selected during the semi-finals round of the
36 Annual California Strawberry Festivalís† to
compete in the† May 18th† "Berry Blast Off"
Recipe Contest† finals. Elizabeth Koseyan of North Hills
and Emily Falke of Santa Barbara competed† for top honors
during the festival this weekend at Strawberry Meadows of College
Park in Oxnard.
Sponsored by the Ventura County Star, the semi-finals for Berry
Blast Off were held on May 7 at the Chefís Kitchen in
the Courtyard by Marriott, Oxnard. The four semi-finalists,
selected from a pool of 72 recipe submissions, had one hour
to prepare their recipes and then present them to the five judges
for tasting (Judges were Anne Kallas, editor of Ventura News
Service, Wendy Leung, Ventura County Star reporter, Chuy Renteria
and Mike Lodi, chefs Courtyard by Marriott in Oxnard, and Mark
Spellman, Lazer Broadcasting and California Strawberry Festival
board member).
Journalist Bonnie Carroll with Kellie Meehan, Director of Marketing
California Strawberry Festival
Semi-finalists
included Elizabeth Koseyan Strawberry Marinated Yucatan Pork
Tostadas with Fresh Strawberry Corn Salsa & Avocado Crema
(North Hills), Emily Falke Sweet Spicy Savory Strawberry Salsa
Drenched Fried Avocado Soft Tacos (Santa Barbara) who went up
against† Kate Rodriguez Strawberry Sicilian Quesadilla
(Port Hueneme) and Kayla Capper Strawberry Shortcake Pancakes
(Ojai).
Koseyan
and Falke prepared their dishes again during the final round,
beginning at 1:30 p.m. on the Festival Stage. 2018 winner and
defending champion Jake Hagen† was the emcee for this
yearís Berry Blast Off. The grand prize† winner
Emily Falke received a 4-day, 3-night getaway vacation at a
Welk Resort property and a Cutco studio knife set valued at
nearly† $500. The runner-up Elizabeth Koseyan received
a 1-night stay at the Courtyard by Marriott Oxnard, a $100 gift
certificate to Maddalena Restaurant at San Antonio Winery.
Contestant Elizabeth Koseyan being interviewed
on the Strawberry Cook-Off Stage
The
judging panel for the Blast Off finals looked for best taste/flavor,
texture, ease of preparation, creative use of strawberries and
presentation and they included Bonnie Carroll, Publisher &
Editor-in-Chief of Bonnie Carroll's Life Bites News and Beverly
Hills Bureau Chief for Food & Beverage International Magazine,
Celebrity Chef Carson Peterson† Top Chef Junior Season
2, Chef & Orange County Food Diva Chelsea Madren, Ventura
County Star food writer Anne Kallas, Chef Julia San Bartolome,
and a delightfully surprised† woman volunteer selected
from the audience to be a peoples choice judge.
First
place California Strawberry Festival Berry Blast Off 2019 winner
Emily Falke works at Santa Barbara Maritime Museum as the Director
of Education and has competed in a bevy of cooking competitions
in past years. Falke's dish featured soft tacos with deep fried
crunchy avocado and a combination of citrus zest that was so
deliciously paired with the fresh strawberries. "I'm honored
to win and it was very challenging to know how much spice and
salt would be the perfect taste combination to win over the
judges," said Falke.
Winning Falke Dish
Official
sponsors for this year's festival include Oxnard Convention
and Visitors Bureau, Southern California Acura Dealers, Stella
Rosa Wines, Stella Artois and KTLA.
By Bonnie Carroll
About Bonnie Carroll
Bonnie Carroll has been a food/travel/lifestyle writer since
1983. She is the founder & publisher of Bonnie Carroll's
Life Bites News - www.lifebitesnews.com,
does travel and food reporting on KZSB1290 radio, and contributes
to a variety of national and international travel/lifestyle
publications. Her first children's book C.C. Charles was published
in 2002 and she is currently working on a second book. Contact
her at Contact her at writebc@aol.com.