Gluten Free Baking Contest Winners at the MN State Fair

Well the Minnesota State Fair is winding down with only two days left.  Through Friday, more than 1.1 Million people have gone to the fair.  That number likely includes more people who have issues with gluten.  The fair has been much more celiac and gluten free friendly in the last few years with a gluten free vendor list and a gluten free baking contest!

Where else will you get the love for winning the gluten free baking contests at the Minnesota State Fair?  Right here on The Savvy Celiac!

You can find the results also on the Minnesota State Fair website on pages 13 and 14 of the pdf.  What the results don’t reveal (unfortunately) is what  the bakers made.

In the Gluten Free Baking category of quick bread, loaf/muffins, Candace Freeman of Melrose won.  Beating out the infamous “Blue Ribbon Baker” Marjorie Johnson, of Robbinsdale, who won second and Allison Holbrook of Woodbury came in third place.

Marna Johnson of St. Paul was the first and only winner of the Gluten Free Baking — crackers, pretzels or snacks category.

As for the gluten free cookies or bars category, Allison Holbrook took first place.  Lisa Anderson of Apple Valley took second and Donald Lewis of Rochester took third.

In the gluten free cake category Jill Moe of St. Paul got the blue ribbon, followed by Mara Heck of Minnetrista getting the red ribbon and Kristina Hollerman of Edina getting the white ribbon.

Marna Johnson was the lone winner of the gluten free baking, leavened bread division; getting third place.

And the final category, called Northland Celiac Support group has four names listed in “first” place:

• Candace Freeman Melrose, MN
• Marna Johnson Saint Paul, MN
• Allison Holbrook Woodbury, MN
• Jill Moe St Paul, MN

Thank you again to the Northland Celiac Support group for sponsoring these categories and bringing awareness to celiac disease, the gluten free diet, and challenging some of the people, like Marjorie Johnson (who isn’t a gluten-free baker), to try baking our way — and make it taste good!

Marjorie Johnson talked about her attempts at gluten free baking during a Twin Cities Raising our Celiac Kids support group meeting last January.  You can read more about that here.

Tags: baking, celiac, contest, gluten-free, Minnesota State Fair