SIDNEY — Saturday, Oct. 5, is the big day for the semifinalists selected to compete in the 36th annual Sidney Daily News cookoff.
The event, which will be held at Crossroads in Hardin, features four semifinalists in the six cookbook categories. More than 160 recipes were received for the competition.
Each category winner will receive $50.. The grand prize winner, which is sponsored by Clancy’s, will receive $250 in addition to the $50 category prize.
The six categories for the 2019 competition and its sponsor are Main Dishes, Flint’s TV and Appliances; On the Side, Gateway Arts Council; No Pressure Here, Clancy’s; Desserts, Ohio Living – Dorothy Love; Bicentennial Heritage, Edison State Community College; and My Favorite Beverage, Allison’s Custom Jewelry.
Category semifinalists are:
• My Favorite Drinks, Terry Esser, of Botkins, White Hot Chocolate or White Hot Chocolate Cocktail; Rita Heikamp, New Bremen, Raspberry Wine; Kristi Patzman, Hebrorn, Kentucky, Pineapple Punch; and Heather Nye, Findlay, Spiderman Drink.
• No Pressure Here: Kelly Schmitmeyer, Anna, Chicken Tacos; Deb Moorman, Sidney, Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya; Beverly Patzman, Hebron, Kentucky, Buffalo Chicken Wings; and Rosemary Dietz, Sidney, German Goulash.
• Bicentennial Heritage: Betty Platfoot, Russia, Peanut Butter Philly Fudge; Mary Lou Veit, Sidney, Chocolate Pudding; Christi Thomas, Sidney, Ugly Ducking Cake; Linda Baker, Sidney, Three Pies: Custard Pie, Rocky Mountain Pie and Bob Andy Pie.
• On the Side: Darla Jones, Sidney, Pizza Stuffed Bell Peppers; Roger Fulk, Sidney, Corn Salad; Marguerite Meyers, Sidney, Gazpacho; and Sharon Asbury, Sidney, Pine Nut Stuffing.
• Desserts, Kathy Ingle, Piqua, Pumpkin Cake; Colton Spriggs, Sidney, Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes; Kyle Jones, Sidney, Granny Bowman’s Apple Butterscotch Cake; Cole Patzman, Hebron, Kentucky, Cherry Cheesecake.
Main Dishes: Duane Mullen, Sidney, Killer Chili; Margaret Cook, Sidney, New Orleans Shrimp Creole; Margie Wuebker, Fort Loramie, Seafood Lasagna; and Pat Woolley, Jackson Center, Spiced Squash Casserole.
Judges ready to go
Three judges have been selected for the cookoff. They are rob Schmiesing, Fair Haven executive chef; Martha Holscher, owner of Morris Landing Restaurant and Dairy King; and Mel Wildermuth, Clancy’s vice president of administration.
A Fort Loramie native, Schmiesing, now of Minster, earned an associate degree in culinary arts in 2003 from Sullivan University in Louisville, Kentucky. While he was in Louisville, he worked in the kitchens of the famous Seelbach Hilton hotel. From there, he became room chef at the Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. He served as executive chef of J. Marie’s Wood Fired Kitchen in Wapakoneta, and joined the staff of Fair Haven in 2017.
Holscher was born and raised in Fort Loramie. She owns four business which are all located within Shelby County. Morris’s Landing Restaurant and banquet area along with the bait & ice cream shop is located at 11003 State Route 362, Minister, Ohio, across from the campgrounds on Lake Loramie. She also owns the Dairy King located at 33 N. Main St. in Fort Loramie. As if that didn’t keep her busy enough she offers 12 motel rooms that are located in both her business locations. In her spare time, Holscher enjoys the company of her two Yorkers ( Chewy and Palin). She also enjoys creating new menu items an a atmosphere enjoyable for dining. She would like to add if anyone is interested in employment she has room for growth. With her lifetime commitment to serving the public she was honored to participate in the cookoff.
Wildermuth began his career with Clancy’s Inc. in October 1992 as an assistant manager of Rax Roast Beef in Sidney.In July 1993, he moved to Galion to operate a Rax. He returned to the area in late 1993 to manage the Rax in Urbana. In June 1994, he became the area director for six fast food restaurants in Ohio — one Clancy’s, two Ponderosas and three Rax Roast Beef restaurants. In October 1997 he transferred to the full service division, Grindstone Charley’s. He was director of four locations in Dayton until September 2000.
He was promoted to director of training for the company and was still overseeing four restaurants. He continued to oversee eight restaurants from 2000 until he accepted a promotion to vice president of administration in 2014. He currently oversees daily office operations and oversees four restaurants. Wildermuth said he is “excited to return home to judge the cookbook contest as I was born and raised in Shelby County. It will be a great opportunity to renew old friendships and make new friends. I’m looking forward to being a party of this special event.”
