Photo: From left, 1st Place Winner and Best Beef Omelet Winner, Charley Haffey of Itawamba County; 2nd Place Winner, Henry Klein of Madison County; 3rd Place Winner, Abbye Buchanan of Rankin County; and Linda Mitchell, director of 4-H Youth Development. (Courtesy photo)
The Mississippi Egg Marketing Board, Mississippi Poultry Association and Mississippi Beef Council are pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 Mississippi State Fair Omelet Cookoff.
Placing first was Charley Haffey, a member of the Itawamba County 4-H. Charley prepared a “Fresh Farmhouse Omelet.” Haffey also took the prize for best beef omelet. Placing second with “The Junior Ranger Omelet” was Henry Klein, a member of the Madison County 4-H. Abbye Buchanan, a member of the Rankin County 4-H, took home third place with a “Good Morning Sunshine Omelet.”
The contestants placing first, second and third were awarded cash prizes by the Mississippi Poultry Association in amounts of $75.00, $50.00 and $25.00 respectively, and the Best Beef omelet was awarded a $25.00 cash prize. In addition, all contestants received an omelet toolkit that included an apron, omelet pan, whisk and spatula. Mrs. Donna Myers, Tupperware Business Leader from Star, also presented each participant a Tupperware gift assortment.
Sixteen 4-H youth competed in the event as part of Mississippi 4-H Day during the 2023 State Fair. Participants entered prior to the competition and were selected by their district to compete at the state level. Also competing were Logan Parkman of Smith County; Jacob Russell of Covington County; Ellen Russell of Covington County; Jameria Carter of Oktibbeha County; MaKayla Carter of Oktibbeha County; Lydia Carter of Oktibbeha County; Tucker Wilson of Webster County; sibling team John Clayton and Joy Kitchens of Lauderdale County; Penny Haffey of Itawamba County; Chawan Jernigan of Winston County; Gracyn Foster of Jasper County; and Hannah Lance of Washington County. Contestants were provided the necessary tools to prepare their omelets but brought unusual or unique ingredients from home. These students had to present their prepared dish to a panel of judges within 60 minutes.
Mississippi Egg Marketing Board President Ryn Laster and State Fair Omelet Cookoff Judge said, “It’s such a joy to see the enthusiasm and creativity of these young people and witness firsthand their excitement and interest in cooking with and using eggs.” Also serving as judges for the cookoff were Lauren Fortenberry, Mississippi Poultry Association, and Hayes Patrick, Deputy Commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce. Serving as the Mistress of Ceremonies was State President for the Mississippi FFA Organization, Ashton Luke from Neshoba County. Luke currently attends East Central Community College in Decatur, Mississippi, where she serves as Vice President of the Freshman Class of the Student Body Association.
Visit www.MSEggMarketing.com for great tasting egg dishes brought to you by the Incredible Egg. For more information about the Mississippi Egg Marketing Board, contact Jennifer Thompson at msegg@mdac.ms.gov.
