The results are in! Westfield Foodie is thrilled to announce the 5 winners of the Food Photo Contest it held in February.
The winners, in order of votes received, are….
1st Place - Spider Cupcakes by Suzanne Welsh
Prize: $25 Gift Certificate to Wild Greens
2nd Place - Thanskgiving Turkey by Heather Barker
Prize: $25 Gift Certificate to Tom the Green Grocer
3rd Place - Bread Pudding by Kerry Ann McGovern
Prize: $25 Gift Certificate to Savory Spice Shop
4th Place - Superbowl Cake Pops by Jen Wallis
Prize: $25 Gift Certificate to Rosie’s Wine Bar
5th Place - Ironbound Paella by Adrian Pastore and Stephanie Colleton
Prize: $25 Gift Certificate to Jeffrey’s of Westfield
This was a fantastic contest to put together. For a first time contest it was met with savory enthusiasm by the community. We received over 30 entries! I enjoyed reading them, learning about the people who entered the contest, and especially reading the comments by the judging panel.
A big thank you to the contest’s judges and sponsors: Jackie Nutall and Becky Solheim of Savory Spice Shop, Joshua Rosenberg of Rosie’s Wine Bar, Joe from Tom the Green Grocer, Steve Williams and Jeffrey Rust from Jeffrey’s of Westfield and Daniel Damasek of Wild Greens. They each generously donated $25 gift certificates as a prize.
All 5 winners are Westfield residents, and they all passionately exemplify their love of foodtography. They each captured a particularly momentous food memory with both a picture and words. I appreciate that you shared a snapshot from your life with us. Thank you to all contestants, we received many photos that were beautiful, captivating and delicious. But every contest must have its winners and in the end relevance to Westfield was considered as a tie breaker. Many entries were sent in from San Francisco that were beautiful but in the end, this is a local food blog.
There were three additional entries that deserve an honorable mention for making it to the final 8, and they include:
Flecks of Salt by Michelle Stavrou
Oxtails on Harrison Street by Alexander Trigaux
Reflections on Quimby Street by Susan Greeley
So without further delay, I proudly present to you to the contest winners Enjoy for yourself these winning entries with the author’s original description, along with editorial from the judges.
1st Place - Spider Cupcakes by Suzanne Welsh
I made these cupcakes for my son's class at Halloween. Inspired by something I had seen in a magazine, I thought they turned out pretty cool. Homemade cake, icing, and chocolate webs, with decorative spiders. I was so proud of them I took a picture (which I usually do of my creative baked goods) so someday I can remind my children of what I was doing in the kitchen all that time!
Editors Note: Wild Greens picked these as the clear winner. “Hands down, the spider cupcakes. They demonstrate a job well done, and the spiders look real!” Savory Spice Shop agrees, they are “adorable, and we love that they are homemade.”
2nd Place - Thanskgiving Turkey by Heather Barker
Attached is a photo of my very FIRST Thanksgiving turkey ever! It came out scrumptious and my mother-in-law continues to tell everyone what amazing gravy it made because it was seasoned so well! So proud! I had originally bought a Williams Sonoma gravy (as backup!) but didn't need to use it at all! I used a new Rosemary-Garlic Butter Rub recipe from Cooking Light magazine that I rubbed under the entire skin of the turkey. It included fresh rosemary, fresh garlic, ground coriander, salt and pepper. Simple but delicious! It was the first time I had ever hosted Thanksgiving and I was very nervous! My 93 year old grandmother was coming (and she is an excellent Italian cook!), as well as my brother and mother and father-in-law (and I have 3 kids who ate everything!). I also made Paula Deen's Green Bean Casserole (which my fam loves!), a butternut squash and goat cheese gratin with toasted hazelnuts (my hubby's favorite), mashed potatoes, and homemade stuffing. I've also included a photo of my mother-in-law, Peggy, and I making the pan gravy!Editor’s Note: This was Westfield Foodie’s top choice. She eloquently captured the excitement of preparing a turkey for thanksgiving the first time, and bonding with her mother-in-law. That’s a lot of pressure and we’re glad it worked out for you and that you shared your photos and joy with us. The gals at Savory Spice agree. “Not only is the picture great, but her enthusiasm makes it even better.”
3rd Place - Bread Pudding by Kerry Ann McGovern
Food helps define our moments together. What kind of moment would bread pudding define? Bread pudding is the moment where you are surrounded by close friends joyously brought together to celebrate the anniversary of knowing each other. The smell of chocolate and banana reminds you of your best times together – being there during the breakups and the accomplishments. It’s comfort in a warm and sweet cake. Smooth vanilla ice cream gently melts into the nooks and crannies of the warm banana and chocolate bread pudding. A spoonful will whisk your espresso into another world. Take a bite!Editor’s Note: Savory Spice Shop loves this photo. “Now we’re both craving it!” This was probably the best quality photograph we received, and it has a nice warm story to it. I could see this photo in a professional cookbook. Wild Greens agrees, “it’s a great picture.”
4th Place - Superbowl Cake Pops by Jen Wallis
What better way to celebrate the Superbowl than a Cake Pop Superbowl Stadium! Red velvet cake pops decorated as the Giants & Patriots helmets, along with an Oreo Football Truffle. Go Giants!Editor’s Note: The guys at Rosie’s Wine Bar are big Giants fans and that helped put this photo into the end zone. This photo is all about dedication, hard work and fun, three things that are prominent at Rosie’s. I find this photo to be endearing, and think of the family time that was spent creating not just the cake pops but the stadium, field and signs. This was a labor of love.
5th Place - Ironbound Paella by Adrian Pastore and Stephanie Colleton
Dinner for one turned into lunch for a week when Westfielders Adrian Pastore (pictured) and Stephanie Colleton (photographer) went with their husbands to Adega in the Ironbound section of Newark recently. There was so much of this delicious paella left over that the restaurant sent Adrian home with a large tray rather than a doggie bag!Editor’s Note: This is a beautiful picture, that tells a story right away. The dish is not only colorful and filled with an unbelievable bounty of lobster, rice and sausage, but the platter is just ridiculously large. It is so big that it is humorous, and I can’t look at the photo without smiling myself. She claims in fed her Westfield family for a week, continuing the happy memory.
Honorable Mention
Flecks of Salt by Michelle Stavrou
The picture is of edamame at our favorite sushi restaurant in Cranford, NJ at Mizu Sushi. I love the picture because you can see the individual flecks of salt on the edamame, which is my favorite part. I've always been a believer that a sushi restaurant's edamame is a reflection of the quality of food you can expect for the rest of your meal. One glance at this picture and you know the sushi here won't disappoint.Oxtails on Harrison Street by Alexander Trigaux
Seldom am I compelled to photograph what comes out of a composed dish. Except with my beloved braised oxtails. Salted, peppered, seared off and slow cooked for eight hours in beef stock and caramelized onions, the velvety ragout that is every ounce of collagen, marrow and meat rendered into my unctuous final product is juxtaposed by the simple beauty of what remains: bones from which each tiny morsel of flavor has been extracted. They fill me with a timeless feeling of culinary community, imbued with the careworn, slow-cooked recipes and experiences of all those cooks, mothers and fathers and grandparents, who felt it before me. I hope my 8 month old son one day takes his place in this continuum, and comes to see these bones as I do: evidence that ours is a world teeming with largely unseen value, if we only view it, patiently, in the right way
Reflections on Quimby Street by Susan Greeley
I was enjoying treats from The Chocolate Bar and the tray looked so beautiful I couldn’t resist taking a photo. I love the way “gelato & coffee” is reflected twice – first through the window, then through the display case. You can almost taste the dark chocolate and the salty almonds, and you can practically feel the energy of Quimby Street, and the scent of warm chocolate is very comforting.
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