Recipe Contest

Recipe Contest Winners: What Ventura County Tastes Like

Last Updated June 15, 2017

We're excited to announce the winners of our recipe contest to find Ventura County's Signature dishes!

In our Spring issue, we wondered aloud what Ventura County tastes like, and invited you all to tell us. Judging from the enthusiastic number of entries, we hit on something: Ventura County deserves to have a signature dish we can call our own.

Thank you to everyone who entered our recipe contest and shared your story. And congrats to our winners!

Ventura County's Savory Signature

Small town roots lead to big flavors Kai Krupa’s (they/them) passion for cooking can be traced back to growing up in a Michigan small town...

Ventura County's Sweet Signature

Teen’s recipe pays homage to her mother and sister An aspiring pastry chef and baker, 19-year-old Karen Reyes is a full-time student who’s...

Savory: Local Black Cod with Blood Orange Salsa, Chili Lime Slaw and Creamy Avocado

Sweet: Mini Berry Cheesecakes

Honorable Mention, Savory: Strawberry Shrimp Tacos with Strawberry Jicama Salsa

These tacos—semi-finalists in the 2017 California Strawberry Festival in Oxnard—can be served with Avocado Chipotle Sauce or Chipotle Lime Yogurt Sauce. “The salty ocean breeze…The aroma of...

Honorable Mention, Sweet: Lemon Chiffon Cake

“My great-grandson-in-law from the UK says a visit to Ojai is never complete until I bake this cake made with lemons from the backyard. We featured this as a cake to buy to help rebuild the Libbey...