Aug 19, 2022 - Food and Drink
Marcia Miller: Des Moines' blue-ribbon neighbor
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A few of Marcia Miller’s winning entries from this year. Photo courtesy of Miller
My neighbor Marcia Miller is one of the state fair's annual culinary champs.
- She's been entering the competitions since 2000 and has, for years, labeled and given me samples after they've been judged.
State of play: This year she has 39 food entries — pies, cookies and cake. And I've scored a taste of nearly all of them.
- On Monday, she won first place in seven pie categories.
- Miller's sour cream raisin meringue — my personal favorite — won in the overall cream pie competition.
Her secret: Persistence.
- The recipes are perfected over multiple tries. Some are years in the making.
1 eye opening thing to go: The judges can serve a cold slice of reality.
- Miller was the only entry in a "cake roll" category in 2016 and was awarded third place.
- "Clearly, my entry wasn't quite ready for the state fair level of competition," she told me.
Check out the winners: Elwell Family Food Center
- 9am-8pm through Sunday.
