A Taste of Glynn

This is a column of mine, with slight modifications, that was printed in The Brunswick News, March 30, 2010.

My love affair with food is probably the longest running relationship I've ever had. So, when I had the opportunity to be a so-called "celebrity" judge for A Taste of Glynn, the annual benefit for Glynn Community Crisis Center, I jumped at the chance. It was a regular trifecta for me - I adore food of all kinds, I was donating a couple hours of my time to a good cause and I would get to write about my experience. About an hour before the event started Sunday, the 20 judges were sequestered in the oceanfront solarium at the King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort, on St. Simons Island, asked briefly about any food allergies and given instructions for scoring. Each table was assigned two food categories to judge on three criteria - flavor, presentation and creativity. Apparently, my mojo was working overtime - our table was assigned the gourmet and health conscious categories. Other divisions included appetizer, soup, barbecue, international, seafood and dessert. My table mates and I, Buddy Stein, Bonnie Rabert and Donald Rice, were seated at a table while volunteer runners shuttled food from serving venues in the lobby to our quarters, without any hint of who had prepared it. The first item we tasted was divine - a sweet potato ravioli in a light basil cream sauce, topped with prosciutto and spinach. I thought I was on Cloud Nine with the initial dish, but discovered quickly that I was only on the first level - there were nine more dishes to sample in the gourmet division. We tasted such delicacies as Beef Wellington, which drew a mixed reaction from the judges at my table, to special treats like maple-glazed "lamb chop lollipops" finished with a cherry reduction, which incited expressions of pure pleasure. During the tasting, we chatted about the various dishes and ranked them accordingly. Influenced by shows such as "Chopped" and "Iron Chef America" on the Food Network, I seized the opportunity to play celebrity food critic and give the requested feedback. I found it fascinating to craft such gems as, "the deuxelles (mushrooms) in the Beef Wellington provide an interesting contrast of textures between the puff pastry and beef," or, "the mashed potatoes were flat and would have benefitted from the addition of salt." Channeling my inner Ina Garten, a frequent judge on "Iron Chef America," was a blast. The health conscious category, from which we sampled four dishes, generated little excitement among us, except for a delightful sea bass baked in a ginger glaze and served on a bed of rice pilaf and crispy vegetables. After spending two hours tasting wonderful food and making new friends, my part was over. Unfortunately, I was so full I had lost all desire to eat at the actual event. I should have listened to a friend of mine, also a judge, who sampled the soup and international categories. "I followed the one-bite rule," she said. "That way, I can still eat when I go out there."