SPAM: How long has it been ?

At Spamarama, a battle of titans
Cook-off and celebration of potted meat draws 3,500
By Miguel Liscano
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Sunday, April 02, 2006
It was a clash of two Spam chef titans Saturday afternoon, one with a string of wins behind him and another who came out of retirement to try to reclaim the title of king of the canned meat pantheon.
The 28th Spamarama cook-off at Waterloo Park had 12 other competitors. But none had won the coveted Spamerica's Cup as many times as David Spooner, the defending champ and six-time winner, and seven-time cup holder John Myers, who won so many times he's called "Chef Spam."
They faced off for the first time at Saturday's competition, offering judges a taste of not just their dishes, but showmanship.
"I treat it as a good piece of meat to work with and do a lot of things to it and present it on fine china as a fine food," a confident Spooner said before the competition.
First, he had to get past Myers, who said, "I'm coming back to take the cup."
With 72 cans of Spam behind him, Spooner, 57, of Austin, prepared his cookoff dish: "Grilled crab stuffed Spam fillets, with roasted pattypan squash, Spam truffle risotto and Spam sauteed in truffle oil." He served it on a silver platter with an embroidered napkin as well as wine to wash it down.
"I think it's going to be a blush today," said Anne Spooner, David's wife.
Spooner has won the top prize in the chef's competition six times in eight tries since he started competing in 1995.
"Yeah,"John Myers quipped. "Since I retired."
Myers, 54, of Plantersville, retired from the competition in the early 1990s after his seven wins. He won the competition three other times before the Spamerica's Cup even existed.
At the competition, Myers altered "Chicken of the Sea" labels to read "Tuna of the Land." His chef's coat bore an embroidered label that said "Spameril Pigasse," and every time he put something in the frying pan, he shouted, "Spam!"
Like Spooner, he thought up his dish — "Spambucca D'Marsala" — about a month before the event and started preparations on Friday to save time.
"Once you get the sautée pan hot, it's bam, bam, bam, or Spam, Spam, Spam, and then it's done," Myers said. Spamarama was dreamed up 30 years ago by Dick Terry and David Dryden Arnsberger as an alternative to chili cook-offs, which they thought were too easy, according to the festival's Web site.
This year's event included Spamalympics — contests that included a Spam disc shoot, a Spam call, a Spam Can Relay and a Spamburger eating contest.
All proceeds went to Disability Assistance of Central Texas, a nonprofit that helps people with disabilities live independently and find jobs. Terry Beck, an organizer, said about 3,500 people attended.
At one table, people in togas served Spam on a toothpick with a piece of pineapple, dipped in melted chocolate flowing from a fountain. They called it Spambrosia, after the mythical Greek food of the gods.
Tasters could be seen leaving the table with smiles. But not everyone was a fan. "It's good, isn't it?" asked toga wearer Colette Brown, smiling at one less-than-enthusiastic reaction.
As for the clash of Spam royalty, Spooner's Spam risotto beat Myers' Spam Marsala.
"I got good responses on my sauce," Spooner said.
Myers shook Spooner's hand, saying, "Congratulations. Now you've tied me."

mliscano@statesman.com; 512-392-8750
source: http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/04/2SPAMARAMA.html