Webster wins!
He does not have the blindingly white smile of Giada De Laurentiis, nor Paula Deen’s easy folksiness. Still, St. Petersburg Times copy editor Jim Webster may just have a future for himself in one of the Food Network’s studio kitchens.
He is, in fact, the Ultimate Grilling Challenge champion, an intergalactic honor bestowed upon him today by none other than Food Network darling, Mario Batali. The announcement, made this morning by Batali on Rachael Ray’s daytime talk show, should come as no surprise. It’s easy to see why Webster’s Pig-Wrapped Pig-Stuffed Pig stomped the likes of semifinalists Gabriel Campbell’s Memphis-style pulled pork sandwich and T.J. Palmrose’s grapewood grilled squab in a tomatillo-ancho marinade served with polenta. The former? Too down-home. The latter? Too froufrou. Webster’s PWPSP has all the allures to catch Mario’s eye. It’s elegantly simple (only 7 ingredients), gutsy (crisp pancetta encircling a pork tenderloin stuffed with homemade pork sausage flavored with orange zest and toasted fennel) and it’s molto Italiano. A culinary achievement somewhere between Isabella Rossellini and Al Pacino.
Most importantly, it’s a whole lot of pork.
“When I started planning my entry,” explains Webster, “It was about thinking about Batali’s sensibilities. I knew he was a huge fan of pork. I vaguely remember something Homer Simpson once said to Lisa, ‘Yeah, sure, like there’s some magical animal that gives us ham, bacon and pork chops.’”
This is the second time Webster has entered a cooking competition, the first the annual Build A Better Burger Contest sponsored by Sutter Home. He didn’t win that one, but he’s come a long way from his early culinary adventures in high school.
“I started cooking because I was the oldest and my mom worked. I did the normal stuff; my classic meal was chicken with barbecue sauce, Rice A Roni and canned spinach.”
His subsequent cooking epiphany sounds like that of many 21st century cooks.
“I hate to make it sound like a promo, but it really was the Food Network--the early days of Emeril, and Bobby Flay’s first show, Grillin’ and Chillin’, which they filmed at some park in Clearwater.”
Beyond bragging rights, Webster’s win has netted him autographed cookbooks, cookware and a bounty of kitchen gadgets. But that’s not what has Webster most excited. As part of his prize, Webster flies to Fort Worth, Texas, on October 31 to cook his winning recipe at a tailgate party with Batali and Ray at a NASCAR race.
“The prize to me is getting to cook with Batali. The trip to Fort Worth is all well and good, but cooking with somebody I admire is one of my big goals.”
"He who distinguishes the true savor of his food can never be a glutton; he who does not cannot be otherwise." 
when laura tried it, she said i was going to win. i wasn't sure if she was just being nice, but if she starts spouting off lottery numbers, i'm playing them.
Posted by: jim w. | October 17, 2008 at 04:03 PM
And when the Mouth tried it, she was too hurried to toast those fennel seeds. Think of the subtle difference!!!
I can attest - Jim's recipe is very creative and delicious. Congratulations on the victory! An award of a different sort for the St. Pete Times.
I shall only hope that there will be a reprise in the Mouth's kitchen and she'll toast those seeds!
Posted by: A. Smedley | October 18, 2008 at 08:37 AM