Three Judges Requested A Second Tasting Of Her Soup. Just Her Soup.
Repeat tastings are technically allowed under competition rules, though they almost never happen. At the Denver Winter Warmth Invitational, the judging panel requested second samples from exactly one competitor — and the request came in before they had finished the first bowl. Zoe’s wild mushroom and thyme creation was eventually awarded Best In Show, though the deliberation lasted forty-five minutes longer than usual for reasons the head judge described only as ‘thorough consideration.’
Her Pho Recipe Is A Family Secret. Her Measurements Are Not.
Vietnamese pho is a category that rewards precision and patience, two things that were in short supply on the judging panel when Linh arrived at the Houston International Soup Festival. Her broth had been simmering for eighteen hours. The judges had been staring at the door for about forty minutes waiting for her to arrive. The official score sheet lists ‘aroma’ as the highest-rated category, which soup experts say is unusual and everyone else says makes complete sense.
