Santa Rosa tasting room worker tops Harvest Fair mystery cooking contest

Stephanie Schaeffer, who works in the tasting room at Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate, took home the $1,000 grand prize at the Sonoma County Harvest Fair's third annual World Wrapped Cooking Competition.

There were three finalists competing with the help of a mentor chef during the competition, which presents amateur cooks with a mystery basket of ingredients along with tortillas from La Tortilla Factory and a pantry of local ingredients from Oliver's Market.

This year's mystery basket included Sonoma Brinery's Smokey Chipotle Sauerkraut, Mindful Meats Organic Pasture Raised Ground Beef and spaghetti squash.

Schaeffer, who was paired with mentor Chef Gus Lopez of Big Boys BBQ and Old Mexico Restaurant, created a rendition of a Thai Spring Roll, using tortillas for the wrapper and a sauce made with coconut milk, rice wine vinegar, herbs and lime. She also made an Asian Meatball with Spaghetti Squash.

'I enjoy experiencing foods from all different cultures,' Schaeffer said. 'Gus was really great to ground me and let me bounce ideas off him as I was going.'

The other finalists, chosen from video entries submitted through the KZST Radio website, included Matt Sangervasi and Crystal Robert, who were mentored by Laurie Figone of Cooking with Laurie and Roger Praplan of La Gare French Restaurant.

Judges for the competition included Amy Meiers, winner of the 2014 World Wrapped Competition; Clarke Katz with La Tortilla Factory; Steve Rose with the Vineyards Inn; and a mystery judge chosen from the audience.