Mar Vista Resident Wins Grand Prize at LA County Fair BBQ Contest

For the past two years, Mar Vista resident Crystal Santana worked alongside her father as his assistant as he entered the barbecue competition at the LA County Fair in Pomona.

This year, she decided to branch out on her own. The result? Crystal’s father – Joe Santana – took second place in the beef category, while Crystal took first place in the seafood category and took the overall Grand Prize.

Santana was born and raised in Mar Vista and is proud to state that she still lives in the area – “just three blocks from my parents house.”

She spoke by telephone with Mar Vista Patch Tuesday and said she still couldn’t believe she had won.

“I was in total shock,” Santana said of the Sept. 4 win.  “I actually don’t cook at all, and I was speechless. I just went in to have fun with my dad and I only practiced my dish twice.”

In fact, she said she was so surprised that when her name was called, she turned to look at her father and he told her, ‘Go and get your prize.’

“Honestly, my dad placed third last year and second year and he is the one who taught me how to do everything. He was so proud of me when I won.”

Santana’s winning recipe was grilled scallops with a honey ginger glaze with a side of wasabi mayonnaise.

Her Hawaiian-inspired dish came partly from her love of the island of Kauai. Santana and her boyfriend returned from the island a week before the contest. After winning $100 in the seafood competition and $300 as the Grand Prize winner, Santana says the couple plan to use the money to return to the island for another vacation.

Despite her big win, Santana says she has no plans to throw in her day job for a culinary career.

“I’m an event planner for DreamWorks animation and I love my job. And I still don’t cook,” she insisted. “I told my boyfriend he’d better not expect me to start cooking now.”

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