Bringing National Recipe Contests To Grassroots America...
The American Fair - Winner Profile
Alberta Dunbar, Grand Prize Winner
SPAM™ Recipe Competition
Winner of more than 4,000 fair ribbons, most of them blue, Alberta Dunbar of southern California has been rewarded with many moments of fame, including the highlight of her competitive career, appearing on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The sweetheart of California's culinary arts departments showed Jay how to make a SPAM™ cheesecake!
“I was really impressed with Jay and his crew. They were all great. Before the show Jay took time to visit with me in my dressing room.” said Alberta. “The interview was unrehearsed. It was off the top of his head. No teleprompters.”
Alberta did a fantastic job. She has a quick wit and was terrific at keeping up with Jay. Although all the food is prepared for her in the three stages for her demo, it is very overwhelming to demo, and talk with Jay in front of millions of Americans. She deserved all the fun perks including limousine service, a beautiful gift basket and lunch at the commissary.
Entered first at the Del Mar (San Diego) County Fair, Alberta's cheesecake was selected over more than 1400 recipes entered in the National “Best SPAM™ Recipe” Competition at 77 fairs in the nation. She won a $2,500 shopping spree, one of many prizes she has enjoyed over the years. She has also won trips, cruises, all types of kitchen equipment including two microwave ovens and dozens of cookbooks.
Alberta said she “wouldn't hazard a guess” about how much prize money she has pocketed since her first win in 1971. $10,000 to $20,000 would probably be a low estimate. Her road to fame began when she drove by a field of cucumbers and tomatoes and went back to pick them. With an abundance of canned pickles and tomato chutney, she entered four items in the Del Mar Fair and won four ribbons! “I was hooked!” Alberta said.
Alberta became the ultimate recipe contest competitor. Besides entering at Del Mar and Los Angeles County Fairs, she packed up her baking equipment, drove to Sacramento, and rented a motel with kitchenette in which she prepared entries for the California State Fair.
Did she win? “I don't think I've ever taken in an entry in Sacramento that I haven't gotten a ribbon,” She replied. To compete at The Los Angeles County Fair, the largest of the three with 1.2 million attendance, Alberta packs up her station wagon with all her entries surrounded by foam rubber to prevent movement, leaves home at 4 am, and arrives at 7 am.
What is Alberta's secret to winning?
Her number one tip is “Have the best ingredients at all times or don't bother to enter.” She also learns a lot from the judges. “When it is open judging, I always watch. Judges give lots of comments and tips. One judge brought a flashlight and a ruler to check headroom of jams and jellies. She held them up and checked with a flashlight for bubbles.”
How does she create her marvelous recipes?
Alberta likes to “get in the kitchen and play around. I keep a pad and write down the ingredients and instructions as I add them. “She gets ideas from ordering desserts in restaurants and trying to figure out what the ingredients are. “Then I make it to my own tastes at home,” she said.
Although she is long retired from her career as a black jack dealer at local casinos, Alberta continues to enter at the Del Mar Fair. Known in the California competitive circles as being most gracious, she is eager to share ideas and help others learn.
Perhaps because of her generous attitude as well as her expertise, Alberta has been recruited into doing demos and judging. This year she will judge the first-ever KIDS SPAM® Oven Roasted Turkey Recipe Competition at the Del Mar Fair. Although she thinks it will be fun to help Hormel find their first SPAM™ Kid Chef of the Year, she says, “judging is a hard job and lots of responsibility.”
Alberta hopes to pass on her winning legacy to her granddaughter with whom she spends a lot of time in the kitchen. Her great grandson also likes to help her make cookies.
Those cookies are pretty special. I know from experience. When I left Alberta at the completion of the Tonight Show, she handed me a box of cookies for the plane ride home. I had never heard of potato chip cookies.
They were terrific! But what was even more terrific was that in the excitement and stress of preparing for her appearance with Jay, Alberta had taken time to make and bring cookies for me. Alberta is a blue ribbon winner in all aspects of her life!
