A family affair: Plano woman wins State Fair Spam contest with support of mother, sister

For the family of Plano resident Paula Wyse Kindred, food is a friendly competition.

At this year's Great American Spam Championship, an annual contest at the State Fair of Texas that challenges contestants to whip up the best Spam-based dish they can muster, it was Paula who came out on top.

Her Mahalo Cups, a Hawaiian-inspired take on the pork staple rich with hoisin sauce, pineapple and Macadamia nuts, netted her a blue ribbon, $150 in cash and a chance to compete on the national level for a trip to the next year's annual Spam Jam in Waikiki.

"It's very Asian-inspired," Paula said of her dish. "It just inspired by my grandmother and her love of Hawaii. ... If I win this, I will be going [to Waikiki] with my grandmother, who passed away many years ago."

The victory was a true upset for Paula, who has competed in several cooking contests over the years: Her sister, Donna, who has won the state-level contest twice before, also competed in the contest but did not place.

"This has to be the most exciting win so far, just because I've wanted it so bad for so long," Paula said. "I've come in second place [to my sister], and I finally got the first place."

But the victory almost didn't happen due to some last-minute technical errors, Paula said. Nearly ready to leave home with her dish, Paula's computer crashed just as she attempted to print out her recipe for submission.

Thankfully, one of her competitors was able to coax her back into the fold, and with a little help she was able to get the dish and the recipe -- hand-written -- to the judges in time.

"I told her to get herself down there, and she'd probably win," Donna said.

The Wyse family's tradition of competing at the State Fair goes back several decades. It was started by Paula and Donna's mother, who submitted her family-famous lasagna recipe when the sisters were young.

"She didn't win anything, but she didn't let it dissuade her, and I think that was kind of a good lesson for us because it taught us to never give up," Paula said.

Paula entered her first State Fair competition in her mid-20s, winning honorable mention for her brownies. Since then, she has won several local and state contests, including some national contests. In September, she was featured on the Game Show Network's Beat the Chef program with other competitors from the State Fair contest scene.

"Even if its someone you're going up against, I love my State Fair sisters," she said. "... It's a way to even grow as a person, because even after years of competing, there's still something new there you're always going to experience."

Over the years, Paula, Donna and their mother have frequently entered cooking and recipe contests, even taking three of the five finalist spots at a grilling contest. Paula and Donna tied for first place.

For Paula, the next step in the contest is to let judges take a look at her recipe compared to 25 other state winners. If she comes out on top, she will be the second Texan to win the national competition and go to Hawaii.

Meanwhile, Donna said she's just as happy for her sister's win as she would be for herself.

"It's great for us to be together [and] root for each other," she said. "It's a friendly competition. We love the other state fair cooks. We get together a couple of times a year and go out to eat, or we have a big Christmas party. It's a real camaraderie down there."

Make it yourself

Take a crack at Paula Wyse Kindred's award-winning Mahalo Cups with this step-by-step receipe:

1/3 cup hoisin

1/3 cup cornstarch

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoons ginger

1 (12 ounce) can Spam Turkey

1/4 cup black sesame seeds

1 cup Macadamia nuts, chopped

1 cup red pepper strips

1 cup chopped purple onion

1 head cabbage (some cups, some shredded)

1 pineapple, in chunks

Mix hoisin with cornstarch. Add garlic and ginger. Cover Spam cubes with ginger mixture and then dip in sesame seeds and macadamia nuts. Sauté Spam. Stir fry the vegetables. Add pineapple to the vegetables and toss. Spoon into cabbage cups and top with the sautéed Spam. Serve warm or cold.

Current Rating: 4 of 2 votes!

Rate File: Select Rating: * ** *** ****

 Plano Apartments
 Plano Attorneys
 Plano Auto Dealers
 Plano Auto Parts
 Plano Auto Repair
 Plano Beauty Salons
 Plano Car Rental
 Plano Dentists
 Plano Doctors
 Plano Flowers
 Plano Hotels
 Plano Insurance
 Plano Loans
 Plano Mortgages
 Plano Movers
 Plano Pizza
 Plano Realtors
 Plano Restaurants
 Plano Storage
 Plano Tax Preparation
 Plano Travel
 Featured
 More...