My Belated Blog-Convention, Part Two

By Keith Fisher


Two weeks ago, at the Dutch oven convention I promised the cooks of the youth cook off I would write a story and post it here. I told them I wrote for YourLDSneighborhood.com. Since then, the neighborhood has discontinued the blogs, and I’ve been busy with life.


I’m at a writer’s workshop today but I am continuing my series of blogs about the convention and today is the cook off. (See guys I told you I’d put you on the internet.)

I planned to be on vacation at the convention this year. I wanted to meet old friends, make new ones, eat a little, and joke a lot. When Terry Lewis, the current world champion and the person running the cook off told me a couple of his judges didn’t show up, I said sure. I always love watching the kids cook. By and large, they are better cooks than we are because they don’t follow the same conventions that we do.


I have lots of reasons, but I think the most important, knowing there is another generation coming up that will continue my love of Dutch oven cooking. Long after us "oldsters" have given in to our broken backs, the kids will still be providing food and propagating smiles. See more pictures here

This year, we had three teams.



Tanner Jacobsen of Tooele, Utah. He’s been cooking in Dutch ovens for three or four years. He cooked Beef Meal In One and Strawberry Braid.




Taylor and Nicole Baugh, sisters, from Bountiful, Utah, have been cooking in Dutch ovens for three or four years but mostly, they’ve been watching Mom and Dad. They cooked Stuffed Roast Beef and Mandarin Orange Cheesecake Bread Pudding.


Kenny Ludwig from Fruitland, Utah. He’s been cooking since September and he made Beef Enchilada and Spiced Apple Pear Pie.


The dishes they cooked were delicious, and made me glad I’m not entering cook offs these days. In a couple of years these guys are going to more than hard to beat. With advice, (and only advice) from an adult supervisor, these young people went to work preparing their dishes with a professional flair.


As the Main dish Judge, I had me work cut out for me. But I was in the company of World Champions, and we had our day in the sun. Now it’s time for the kids to shine.


In the end, the winners were Taylor and Nicole Baugh – first place, Kenny Ludwig – second, and Tanner Jacobsen – third. They couldn’t have been more thrilled. They took home, coveted prizes and of course, the bragging rights.