< Previous90 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2022 Ivy Hettinger-roberts, a copy editor for The Daily News, in October took third place in the citrus pie category at the Texas State Fair in Dallas. She entered an Atlantic Beach-style pie topped with pomegranate seeds. She has since named it Galveston Beach Pie. COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2022 91 FEATURE PRIZE PIE SURPRISE New to the state, a baker competes in the most Texas fair of all story by IVY HETTINGER-ROBERTS | photo by JENNIFER REYNOLDS I n the unflattering fluorescent overhead lights, the Texas State Fair pies did not look particularly appe- tizing, though they surely were. Most of them looked somehow both dull and shiny, like plastic. The pies sat on tables in the center of the room, roped off from all but judges and those setting up the competition. Contestants crowded around, like parents nervously looking into the schoolyard for their children, making sure no one messed with — or worse — dropped their creations. “Which one is yours?” A woman to my left asked. I told her I didn’t really know. I had handed it off to someone who had then carried it away. “It’s a citrus,” I said, and instantly she knew where it was: “Oh, that’ll be on the other side.” I thanked her, mentioning it was my first time there. She wished me luck. She herself had entered four pies and it was her 24th year to com- pete. I wished her luck. She thanked me, the same way Shaquille O’Neal might if you said “Good luck against those third-graders!” She didn’t need my luck, she had skill and years backing her up. I, however, did need the luck. Not only was it my first time at the Texas State Fair, but I’m a recent transplant to the Lone Star State. The fair, in many ways, is the perfect representation of a state as a whole — it brings together people from all over the state and showcases the best and brightest Texas has to offer, in all sorts of categories and classes. A state fair says “This is us: We love our state, and here is the culmination of that love.” All of this to say that, for someone who grew up more than 1,000 miles from Texas, someone who hates the heat, someone who does not frequent H-E-B, entering the Texas State Fair seemed like a perfect way to finally, fully integrate into the community. Texans are known for their state pride. What better way to show that I, too, could be a yellow rose of Texas, than to be a part of the most Texas thing of all? I even topped my pie with a lone star, hoping no one would be able to tell my status as a non-native. The trouble with getting the Atlantic Beach Pie — or Galveston Beach Pie, if you will — to the Texas State Fair had started about a week before. A call to the fair was required after realizing I hadn’t yet gotten a Texas driver’s license — an omen, maybe, that I was partaking in some- thing I had no right to. To my surprise: “You can be from Hawaii or Japan if you want,” the woman at the other end of the line said flatly. While the idea of someone in Japan boarding a 13-hour flight with a pie was certainly intriguing, and probably war- ranted further questioning: “Do you actually get people from Japan? Do they win? Are they also pie people, or do Japanese people prefer to enter a different contest?” I didn’t ask, too relieved to have the issue easily resolved. The second problem had come when my Airbnb host had canceled two days before I was scheduled to be in Dallas. Next, the Office Depot had no one to print my required recipe, and both their self-ser- vice machines were out. As I started my pie at midnight the night before the contest, I realized I had forgotten to pick up condensed milk. Then, I had forgotten my juicer. Then, I burned my arm. The morning of the fair, the CVS employee who did print my recipe did so with the enthusiasm of someone approaching the gallows. At the fair, I stood in line to enter the expansive grounds, where I would have continuously checked my watch, had I worn one. Next was the cross-park rush to find the Creative Arts Building, and then, finally, I had crossed the proverbial finish line and handed over my creation at 10:26 a.m. with four minutes to spare. After the judging began, there wasn’t much to do unless I wanted to watch people eat pie. I didn’t. I wandered off to look at the winners from other contests, then outside to see what else there might be. There was a farm animal petting zoo, complete with baby donkeys. An already-tired father behind me pulled his child past them, saying “We have don- keys at home, remember?” The fair, in many ways, is the perfect representation of a state as a whole — it brings together people from all over the state and showcases the best and brightest Texas has to offer, in all sorts of categories and classes. 92 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2022 FEATURE There was a miniature butter sculpture contest. My personal favorite was butter pats simply stacked on the plate, labeled “Stone- henge.” A sign advertised a six-patty cheese- burger that if you could eat in two minutes, you would win something (A bottle of Tums, presumably.) Other sights included a funnel cake shaped like an armadillo and a carnival game in which you launched a rubber chick- en into a faux-boiling pot of water. Not to mention all the typical attributes of a fair: decadent, delicious food; glittering rides; screaming children; a giant cowboy (Big Tex, I’m told) who waved and occasion- ally shouted. Hours later, I wandered back into the Cre- ative Arts Building where people had begun picking up the remains of their pies — I had missed the awarding of ribbons. I handed a woman my ticket stub, and she found my corroborating dish and handed it back. Unadorned. I don’t typically think of myself as arrogant, but this didn’t seem quite right. I asked a different woman whether all the ribbons had been claimed. Not thinking I’d won, you understand, but just making sure. Covering my bases. She told me they had, but the winners would be posted online the next day. I was dejected, although I hadn’t expected to win — how could I, against people with 24 years of experience? I was no Texan, and this loss rubbed it in. I might never appre- ciate the 90-degree fall days or Buc-ee’s. I might never own a pair of cowboy boots. I would remain an outsider. I hadn’t really expected to win, sure, but the loss amplified my lonely status as an interloper among the natives. But even as an intruder, the Texas State Fair is full of curios- ities to take in, so I drifted back out. Loser or not, there was no reason to leave now — I hadn’t even seen the pig races yet. The next morning, as I sat and waited for my car’s AC to gain its full strength, I decided to look up the official contest results. Perhaps they would have a ranking of all the pies, not just the winners. Then, at least I could gloat to whoever would listen that I’d come in 44th or 15th, or whatever it happened to be. It turned out that my decidedly un-Texan (Wisconsinite, actually) driver’s license hadn’t been a bad omen after all. I had placed third. There must have been a miscommuni- cation with the woman who said there were no ribbons left, because as of now, my crisp white ribbon hangs in my bedroom. Maybe I wasn’t so out of place here after all — although embarrassingly, they’d listed my Midwestern hometown instead of my Galveston address. Even now, I didn’t fit in entirely. But third place felt appropriate. It gave me room to grow — to maybe even become a Dallas Cowboys or Houston Astros fan. I was pleased with the thought, and began the journey home, already thinking of ways to improve the recipe. GALVESTON BEACH PIE For the crust: 1½ sleeves saltines ¾ cup salted butter 3 tablespoons sugar For the filling: 2 ⁄ 3 cup lemon juice (typically 4 to 5 lemons) 4 egg yolks 1 (14-ounce) can condensed milk 1½ tablespoons cornstarch For the topping: Seeds from 1-2 pomegranates To make the crust, preheat oven to 350 F. Blend saltines in a food processor until you have crumbs. Add sal- tine crumbs and sugar in a small mixing bowl. Melt butter and add to crumb and sugar mixture. Mix together until it’s a doughy consistency. Press dough into 9-inch pie pan until thick and flat, on bottom and up onto sides. Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool while you make the filling. To make the filling, add 1½ tablespoons cornstarch to mixing bowl. Add condensed milk. Separate egg yolks from whites; add yolks to mixing bowl. Juice lemons until you have 2 ⁄ 3 cup juice, add to mixing bowl. After crust has cooled, pour filling into crust. Bake again for 15 minutes. After taking the pie out of the oven, sprinkle layer of pomegran- ate seeds over as topping. Then refrigerate until set completely, at least 3 hours. You can substitute ¼ of the lemon juice with pomegranate juice. Big Tex stands at the entrance of the Texas State Fair in Dallas. He has been the official greeter at the fair for more than 60 years. GETTY IMAGES COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2022 93 OPEN 10AM-6PM Monday, Wednesday-Saturday Sunday, 12AM-4PM Closed Tuesdays 409-497-2999 2402 STREET MARKET www.thekitchenchick.com www.facebook.com/kitchenchick KITCHEN BOUTIQUE the kitchen chick C o ok in g C l a s s e s ! C o o k in g C la s s e s ! C o o k i ng C l a ss e s ! O l iv e O i l & O l i v e O il & O l i v e O i l & V i n e g a r B a r ! V in e g a r B a r ! 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Cozy up in a new home for the new year96 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2022 The Galveston regional Chamber of Commerce produced the 14th annual Galveston Women’s Conference on Oct. 28 at the Moody Gardens Convention Center. The conference featured keynote speaker Mariel Hemingway, several reputable health experts from uTMB Health and a shopping expo with more than 100 vendors from across the region. Photos by Manny Chan GALVESTON WOMEN’S CONFERENCE PICTURED: 1. Keynote speaker Mariel Hemingway. 2. Seated: Anastasia Gaido, Lisa Peltier, Nancy Almodovar and Ashley Marquez; standing: Zuleima Cossio and Nadia Jubran. 3. Jen Stobie, Renae Bentley, Sabrina Walker, KHOU-TV news anchor and event emcee Mia Gradney, Bridget Gutierrez and Jaree Hefner. 4. Cynthia Smith, BJ Herz, Melanie Promecene and Mary Cooper. 5. Women of the Year Kimmy Almon, Peggy Cornelius, Theresa Elliott, Dr. Jennifer Goodman, chamber President and CEO Gina Spagnola, Lisa Halili, Sue Johnson and Caroline Le. 6. Chamber President and CEO Gina Spagnola with Tatiana Verega. 7. Barbra Cutsinger, Casey Fife, Melissa Washington, Janice Hallisey, Rebecca Lilley, Ashlea Quinonez and Margaret Stewart. 8. Dr. Stacy Leung, Jackson Gasperecz, Beverly McCreery, Maria Patawaran, Christy Humphrey, Tayna Vazquez, Angela Bird and Dr. Karen Lewis. 9. Standing: Joan McLeod, Katherine Hogan, Jackson Almon, Kimmy Almon, Lori Matthews, Allan Matthews; seated, Marcey Merrell, Laurie Gibson, Denna Kay Alexander, Ann McLeod Moody and Dotsy Balentine. 10. Standing: Torrina Harris, Dorothy Simmons, LaTrina Jones, Makia Golliday, Shanice Blair, Sam Collins, Sue Johnson, chamber President and CEO Gina Spagnola, June Collins-Pulliam; seated: Aja Zola, Ruth “Susie” Ouzenne, Raylene Morgan and Lurlene Simmons. PARTY PICS 123 45 6 78 109 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2022 97 2115 Strand | Open Daily 409.762.7400 Strand Brass Great Patterns Available Now +PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY +AERIAL/DRONE IMAGERY +STAGING CONSULTATION +MARKET VALUATION Find Your Galveston LIST WITH THE BEST! We represent Galveston’s best & brightest properties. In addition to our bold marketing strategies, we provide the following complimentary services for every listing: TheGalvestonRealtor.com 2417 Strand Street • Galveston TX 409.354.6456 Brian@TomsGalvestonRealEstate.com THE GALVESTON REALTOR98 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2022 Galveston environmental nonprofit Artist Boat honored “One in a Million Women in Coastal Conservation” during its signature fundraising event, Float the Boat. Guests gathered under the stars at the Artist Boat Coastal Heritage Preserve on the West End for four dinner events Nov. 12, 13, 19 and 20. Honorees for 2021 included Diane Wilson, activist and author; Linda Shead, of Shead Conservation Solutions; Helen Drummond, executive director of Houston Audubon; and Cherie O’Brien, a natural resource specialist with Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Each evening included a catered meal by Mosquito Café and PattyCakes, a curated menu of beer and wine, a selected signature cocktail, live music and live auction. Photos by Carla Peoples FLOAT THE BOAT PARTY PICS PICTURED: 1. Honoree Diane Wilson and Artist Boat Executive Director Karla Klay. 2. Kimberly DeSalvo with Jeff and Joanie Steinhaus. 3. Dr. Heather and Michael Lerner. 4. Seated: Winifred Gilmore and Sue Johnson. Standing: Dorothy Simmons, Corlie Jackson, Denise Smart and LaTrina Johnson. 5. Christine Ruiz Hopkins and Dave Casale. 6. Larry Robinson and Marilyn Swanson. 7. Hannah and Thomas Heathman. 8. Michael Tolch and Gabriela Barahona. 9. Scott and Donna Weaver with Betty Massey. 10. Artist and Artist Boat Education Coordinator Karissa Laffey. 12 4 56 7 109 8 3 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2022 99 Jacki Hart REALTOR ® 409.692.5081 Jacki.Hart@Garygreene.com www.realtorwithhart.com ©2021 Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC. Better Homes and Gardens® is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation licensed to Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC. Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each Franchise is Independently Owned and Operated. If your property is currently listed with a real estate broker, please disregard. It is not our intention to solicit the offerings of other real estate brokers. CALL ME FIRST! SELLING OR BUYING A HOME Fullen Jewelry 2215 Postoffice Downtown Galveston 409.763.0555 www.FullenJewelry.comNext >