(Excerpt from “Food Scene: Home cook wins contest, coffee fundraiser, downtown cafe closes“)
The Lane County Farmers Market held a cooking contest during the Tuesday market, Aug. 5. Ashley Gonzalez, an enthusiastic home cook whose experience includes hosting many dinner parties, claimed first place with her traditional ceviche using nopales, or the pads of the prickly pear cactus.
The competition challenged seven contestants to create dishes using only ingredients from the farmers market plus one secret ingredient from home. Participants had $55 to shop for fresh ingredients from the market, followed by 30 minutes to prepare and plate their creations. They could use small appliances such as blenders, but there were no heat sources.
Gonzalez, who owns Dulce Madre offering doula services and Mayan and Aztec traditional medicine, won $200. She brought limes. Second-place winner Keagan Andrea, who cooks at Eugene restaurants Wayback Burgers and Teriyaki Madness, received $50 for his watermelon caprese with marinated onions. Andrea’s secret ingredient was mozzarella. Third-place winner Locust Messina, who cooks meals in a group home, won $25 for their summer fruit salsa on Danish pastries. Messina brought lemons.
Judges evaluated dishes on technique (25%), appearance (25%) and taste (50%). The panel of judges included Isaiah Martinez, chef owner of Yardy Rum Bar; Rocky Maselli, chef owner of Osteria DOP; and Dr. Lauren Dallas, a family medicine physician at Kaiser Permanente Chase Gardens, who spoke about the nutrition available from fresh ingredients.
Other creative entries included beef tartare with summer squash soup, smoked salmon crostini with blackberry basil vinaigrette, vegan mushroom ceviche, and capicola sandwiches with aioli. Farms that vend at the farmers market donated herbs.
Emcees Connor Mackenzie and Andrew Martin, who work with Maselli at Osteria DOP, checked in with the contestants and gave the crowd glimpses of what they were creating throughout the competition.
Gonzalez’s winning dish involved brining the nopales in salt before mixing with fresh vegetables, herbs and lime juice — a method that “cooks” the ingredients through acidity rather than heat.
Source: LookOut Eugene-Springfield