By KEVIN WALKER
Michigan Correspondent

GRAND LEDGE, Mich. — With the help of enthusiastic event manager Ginger Bardenhagen, Michigan’s first annual stoup competition came off without a hitch.

The stoup competition was a fundraiser for the Michigan chapter of Envirothon, a nationwide and Canadian program designed to help high school students learn more about agriculture and the environment. Bardenhagen, a resource analyst at the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA), came up with the idea.

“I wanted to combine some of what I love: I love Envirothon, I love local agriculture and I love cooking,” she said.

“Stoup” is a combination of soup and stew. The competition took place at the Red Salamander restaurant in Grand Ledge. In addition to the competition, there was also a beer, wine and hard cider tasting event.

“I think it went really, really well,” Bardenhagen said. “We had 11 competitors with over 100 people attending. It was really a great event, a lot of fun.”

She said it cost quite a bit to put on the event and she feels happy they made any profit from it. She stated it’s typical for a first-time event to be a little costly. She would like to do it again next year, but is thinking about trying to move it around, possibly to Traverse City – not that there was anything wrong with Grand Ledge.

“We’re planning on doing it again,” she said. “We’re definitely going to need a larger facility next year.”
Becky DeYoung of DeYoung’s Fore Seasons, a small spices venture based in Novi, won the “People’s Choice Award” for her “sporktacular” chili.

“They loved the chili, but the cornbread put it over the top,” DeYoung explained.

She served the chili, mixed with her own proprietary spice blend, with a honey jalapeno cornbread on the side. She used Jiffy cornbread, a Michigan product, as a base for the bread. DeYoung also thought the event went well.

“For a first annual, I was surprised at the amount of turnout,” she said. “It was a great turnout. We were pretty crowded.”

DeYoung, who lives in Hartland, started her business in 1999, then put it on hold for awhile as she raised her two small children. She started putting a lot more effort into it in 2005.

“A lot of people use our seasoning with stocking stuffers,” she said. “We have over 40 retailers that we deal with throughout Oakland County. We’re slowly getting to the point where we’re making a little bit of money.”

She also said her business got a boost when a national food critic reviewed her spice mix favorably and put the review on his website.
The other winners of the competition were:

•Overall: Walldorff Brew Pub and Bistro, Hastings, “Veggie Mulligatawny”

•100 Percent Local: Summer Foster, Lansing, “Hold the Cheese Please Potato Soup”

•Vegetarian: Walldorff Brew Pub and Bistro, Hastings, “Veggie Mulligatawny”

•Organic: Mind, Body and Spirits, Rochester, “Winter White Bean Cassoulet”

•Allergic Friendly: Mind, Body and Spirits, Rochester, “Winter White Bean Cassoulet”

•Youth Sensation: Starr Commonwealth Montcalm School, “Vegetable Sensation”

•Best Individual: Summer Foster, Lansing, “Hold the Cheese Please Soup”

•Best Restaurant: Walldorf Brew Pub and Bistro, Hastings, “Veggie Mulligatawny”

•Best Stoup Name: Summer Foster, Hastings, “Hold the Cheese Please Potato Soup”