Johnsonville's The Sausage Dome Champion, Competitive Home Cook (2017 & 2018 World Food Championships Top 5), World Food Championships E.A.T. Certified Food Judge, KCBS Certified BBQ Judge, Tillamook Brand Ambassador, JOI Ambassador, Culinary Researcher, Food & Travel Blogger/Vlogger, and Recipe Developer
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
2016 WFC Day 3: World Sandwich Championship
Since I didn’t have
to arrive at The Wharf until noon, I got to
sleep in and partake in some breakfast at the Hampton
Inn on a beautiful Veterans Day.
There is nothing like a freshly made waffle, but I had a LOT of Whole Foods Market leftovers
from our photography competition during the Blogger Summit. I went downstairs
and made myself a waffle and had to pinch myself as I was SO tempted to make it
into my usual dessert waffle. I went back to the room with my waffle still hot
and layered bleu cheese crumbles (fit perfectly into all of those waffle
nooks), sliced turkey, bacon, sliced avocado, and tomato. Protein-packed waffle
sandwich to get myself ready for the World Sandwich Championship at the World Food Championships.
Lisa Keys, a.k.a. Good Grief Cook, is a blogger and food
competitor. I met her last year at the FoodFightWrite Blogger Conference and we
crammed into a rental car, which was lovingly nicknamed “The Sardine Car”, to
get back to the hotel. The gals had to shop for their competition ingredients
and I had a media preview to attend. Lisa reminds me so much of my mom which is
why I like her so much! She started her food competitor “career” with the Pillsbury Bake-Off.
The experience sparked her competitive spirit to continue with other cooking
contests eventually becoming a Season 30 Food
Network Chopped Champion! Her blogging came later in life to help her
through the grieving process of losing her son in a tragic car accident. She now
inspires other who have lost love ones through emotions and feelings that she
has experienced. I totally understand as my mom lost her husband not too long
ago. She experiences the same emotions and feelings. Her blog is that
comforting “casserole” of love and support.
Lisa was representing
Team Saucy Mama during
the World Sandwich Competition. For the structured build, she made a Cuban
Fusion sandwich infused with Mexican chorizo sausage, mojo roasted pork, prosciutto,
pineapple mustard, quick pickled vegetables, and dill mustard. I was unable to
taste her turn-in but the appearance was great with the layers of meat, cheese,
vegetables, and sauce visible. I loved the contrast of the yellow mustard to
the purple red onion. Structurally, it was definitely a Cuban sandwich. She
scored an 82 from the judges for this heat.
For the signature
dish, she made a Fontina Stuffed
Chicken and Mushroom Meatball Sub with Crispy Cheese Frico. Unfortunately, I
was unable to taste this dish as well. For appearance, I loved that she used a
wooden serving board with her frico scattered about. I also love the use of the
Italian flag colors of red sauce and green parsley. However, I thought the
grilled sides of the bread were a little dark and the sauce looked a little
loose. I know that Lisa needed more time to tighten up the sauce. The aroma certainly
reminded me of a meatball sub. The judges seemed to like this sandwich much
better, giving her a score of 87. Her overall score was 84.5, just 9 points away
from putting her into the Top 10.
It was an honor to watch
Lisa compete and I hope to see her again this year at WFC 2017! Now it’s time
to put my feet up and watch some wild dolphins with Dolphin Tales.
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