Juan Carlo / Star staff Chefs Mike Lodi, left, of the Ventura County Rescue Mission, and Chuy Renteria, of Courtyard by Marriott, put spoon to mouth and pen to paper during the judging.

Photos by Juan Carlo / Star staff Debbie McDermott works to assemble her Strawberry Tiramisu in the kitchen of the Courtyard by Marriott in Oxnard. She and four other Ventura County cooks had one hour to prepare and present their entries in the Berry Blast-off recipe contest. Below, Wendy Taber makes her Strawberry Gazpacho Salad with Tangy Lime Vinaigrette.

Oxnard 05/06/08: Juan Carlo / Star staff: Wendy Taber of Ventura works on making her Strawberry Gazpacho Salad with lime vinaigrette at Chef's Kitchen at Courtyard by Marriott in Oxnard. Taber was one of two finalists for the ultimate challenge of preparing the winning strawberry delight for the cruise vacation prize at the Strawberry Promenade at the 25th anniversary California Strawberry Festival on May 17. Five finalists selected from numerous submissions in the 2008 California Strawberry Festival "Berry Blast OffÓ Recipe Contest had 60 minutes to prepare, create and present their favorite strawberry recipes "a la Iron ChefÓ style before a panel of judges as they vie for the top prize of a four-night getaway cruise, courtesy of Shell Vacations Club.

For people locked in kitchen combat, the five contestants at the Berry Blast-off recipe contest May 6 at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Oxnard seemed to be quite congenial.

In spite of cramped quarters and only one small stove top, the Ventura County cooks graciously shared space while creating culinary masterpieces that were then judged by a panel to determine the two finalists to compete Saturday at the 25th annual California Strawberry Festival.

The finalists' recipes had been selected by a panel of local chefs and representatives from the festival board out of more than 25 submitted.

The rules called for original recipes that featured strawberries as a key ingredient and didn't require baking.

Contestants had to bring all ingredients besides strawberries and the recipe needed to serve six. They had 60 minutes to prepare and present their dishes.

"I looked through our past recipes. I wanted something that hasn't been done before," event coordinator Lisa Carey said, explaining the winnowing process.

The finalists were Wendy Taber of Ventura, who prepared a Strawberry Gazpacho Salad with Tangy Lime Vinaigrette; Kateri Lawson of Ventura, who prepared Mediterranean Strawberry Quesadillas; Krista Slack of Simi Valley, who prepared Turkey Cutlets with Strawberry Black Pepper Sauce; Debbie McDermott of Thousand Oaks, who made Strawberry Tiramisu; and Bernie Barnes of Camarillo, who made Strawberry UFOs in Snow.

Each cook was given a small space in the kitchen of the hotel to prepare the dishes.

Last-minute checks

As they waited to start, the contestants milled around, worrying about whether they had forgotten a key ingredient. McDermott realized she hadn't packed a platter for her tiramisu, but the kitchen staff was able to get her a round metal one, which she covered in doilies.

Strawberry Festival manager Bonnie Weigle provided the countdown and all conversations ceased as the room was filled with the sounds of chopping blades and the smell of fresh-cut strawberries.

Taber looked up from the cutting board where she was furiously chopping and said, "I'd thought of bringing Band-Aids," and smiled as she went back to work.

As the recipes came together, the contestants seemed to relax. A few supportive spouses hovered, taking pictures and offering words of encouragement.

Barnes was the first to finish after mixing his cream cheese, Cool Whip, milk and marshmallows with sliced strawberries that looked like little spaceships.

McDermott's tiramisu, which had a Chambord liqueur/strawberry sauce for the ladyfingers, was finished second, so she let it chill in the freezer.

Lawson was ready with her quesadillas, but she wanted to wait until the last minute to cook them so they would be warm for the judges.

Taber displayed dazzling knife skills as she chopped vegetable after vegetable.

Slack carefully monitored her sauce as her husband called out the time at regular intervals, and held her turkey cutlets from the stove top so they too would be warm when served.

While there was music provided by a radio in the kitchen, the atmosphere was surprisingly relaxed for a competition based on the wild "Iron Chef" premise.

The action then moved into an adjacent banquet room where tables were set up for the contestants to present the food and the judges were able to take their places at a table in the middle of the room to try the dishes.

The judges were Kathy McAden, strawberry festival board member; Maria Sanchez of KVTA talk radio; Betty Amezcua, Courtyard by Marriott food and beverage director; Mike Lodi, executive chef of the Ventura County Rescue Mission; Chuy Renteria, executive chef at the Courtyard by Marriott, Oxnard; and Tracy Lehr of KVTA.

The consensus was that judging such a wide range of dishes was difficult.

"It's hard to compare appetizers with desserts," said Lehr, an on-air reporter and anchor.

The judges graded the dishes based on taste, ease of preparation, texture and creative use of strawberries.

The thrill of victory

And the winners were the tiramisu prepared by Debbie McDermott and the gazpacho salad prepared by Wendy Taber.

Both women expressed their delight at having been chosen, saying they look forward to competing May 17 for a four-day vacation cruise provided by Shell Vacations Club.

Each finalist will receive weekend passes to the Strawberry Festival.

"I'm a wreck, but I'm glad I did this today," McDermott said. "I think I'll be less nervous now that I've seen that I can do it."

Taber said she has watched cooking competitions for years and always wondered how cooks could make mistakes. Now she knows: With just three minutes remaining, she realized she had forgotten the basil, which was a main ingredient in her salad.

"I was just sitting there the whole time with my basil plant in front of me," she said. Then, as she was putting out the supposedly completed dish, "I realized I'd forgotten the basil. So I ran back and made a quick chiffonade."

Normally the family cook, McDermott took personal pride in her win: "This one's for me," she said. "It's not for my husband and it's not for the kids. It's for me."

McDermott and Taber will meet again at high noon Saturday, during the Strawberry Festival, when they bring their recipes to the Strawberry Promenade for the final showdown.