CV resident proud to win ‘National SPAM Champ’ title

By Diane Y. Welch

National “SPAM” champ Stacy Slagor Photo courtesy Beth Betcher, Hormel

Stacy Slagor has the unlikely title of “National SPAM Champ,” and she is not only proud to hold that title, she is practically giddy about it. Her ebullience spills over as this Carmel Valley resident, who had never entered a cooking contest until June 2009, explains how all of this came about.
It all started with the call for SPAM recipes for the summer run of the San Diego County Fair, said Slagor in a recent interview.
“I saw the article in the newspaper advertising all the different contests at the fair and the cooking contests caught my eye. And as I love to cook and I like SPAM, I thought, ‘How fun would that be to go to the fair and do a SPAM contest’ because I thought it fit perfectly with the fun of the fair.”
A recipe came to mind pretty easily, said Slagor. What snatched Slagor the coveted Great American SPAM Championship was her flavorful Fusion Fajitas which comprise strips of SPAM, sauteed red peppers, onions and seasonings, with a pineapple, teriyaki, jalapeno salsa, blanketed with soft tortillas.
Slagor's recipe faced tough competition. “I didn't know it when I competed at the San Diego County Fair, but there was a previous winner who had won the local competition a few times, and had won the national contest in 1998. And in hindsight I'm really glad I didn't know that at the time,” Slagor confessed.
That former national champ was Roberta Dunbar, whose recipe for savory SPAM cheesecake garnered her a spot on the “Tonight Show” with Jay Leno.
Although Slagor is not in the spotlight for late-night talk shows, she was thrilled to get the news of her national win Jan. 21 and is glowing in her new-found celebrity as this year's champion. Slagor qualified for the national competition thanks to her win at the San Diego County Fair. Hormel judges evaluated all the country’s summer blue ribbon-winning recipes in the fall at their private kitchens, without the knowledge of the winners. From those regional winners, Slagor's recipe was the national winner.
Her inlaws even bought her a tiara to wear to further her status as the SPAM cuisine queen. Slagor has appeared on San Diego Living and has gained local media attention. At this year's fair, with a theme of food, Slagor will again be called upon to showcase her SPAM culinary expertise.
Beth Betcher, the publicity and contest coordinator for Hormel, was most impressed with Slagor. “Stacy's recipe stood out in national judging because her fusion salsa really brought out the wonderful taste of SPAM. It was the clear winner at nationals. I have never met a more enthusiastic first-time entrant,” she said. “She really delved in to creating a classic recipe with a great twist. I think her win has only strengthened Stacy's passion for cooking with SPAM.”
Thanks to her national win, Slagor has won an all-expenses-paid trip to Honolulu, in April, with her husband, Jay Ficicchy.
“We were actually [in Honolulu] last September and we, of course, had to go everywhere where there was SPAM, and I took lots of pictures. SPAMs even on the drive-through menu of Burger King,” she remarked.
For this upcoming visit the couple will be part of Hormel's Hawaii SPAM Fest, an annual celebration of the ham and pork canned meat that was introduced in 1937 when it provided inexpensive meals to Americans caught in the dark days of the Depression, when it's advertising slogan was “SPAM, hits the spot”.
Often the butt of jokes and hammed up by the Monty Python comedic crew in the 1970s, it recently reemerged in the Python-inspired Spamalot. SPAM has nevertheless endured as an inexpensive, versatile source of protein.
“There are a lot of secret SPAM lovers out there,” said Slagor. “They have come out of the woodwork. When I tell people about my recipe they will then share their own personal stories with me. Perhaps they eat it when they go camping, or it's their favorite breakfast. So many people that I never would have dreamed, love SPAM.”
Slagor, originally from Buffalo, moved to Carmel Valley two and a half years ago and lives there with her husband and son, a freshman at Canyon Crest Academy. She said she loves to cook, bake pastries and cakes, and main dishes. “You name it I cook it!”
Last summer Slagor was unexpectedly laid off from her job as UCSD's director of corporate relations and so is looking for new avenues to pursue. When asked if there perhaps could be a SPAM recipe book in her future, Slagor replied, “I'm open to any possibilities.”
To get an online copy of Stacy Slagor's blue ribbon state fair recipe, SPAM Fusion Fajitas, type into the command line the following: http://bit.ly/7qbM2S