No need to fudge results: Confection wins best of show

Harry Potts' fudge may be a winner, but he says it's still his wife's kitchen.
By MARALINE KUBIK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- There's nothing quite as sweet as Harry Potts' fudge, except winning best of show Friday with his delectable candy and outshining all the women.
"I've won a lot of blue ribbons in the men's competitions, but I never won best of show where all of the men's and women's entries are judged together," Potts said. "It's really an honor."
The recipe for his winning entry, white fudge with cranberries, walnuts and pecans, came from a magazine. It wasn't a treasured family recipe passed down for generations or even one of his own creations, Potts said -- just a recipe that caught his wife's eye.
"I changed it a little. I added pecans and a little more cranberries," he said, "but that was it. It just looked like a good recipe. It was different. All fudges seem to look alike and taste alike, but not this one."
The first time Potts made his best-of-show fudge was for his Canfield Fair entry. "You always make a lot more than what you need at the fair," he said. So he shared it with friends. "Everybody said it's a winner," he said.
Nevertheless, Potts was surprised to win top honors. "I don't think I'll be able to do it again," he added.
Longtime competitor
Potts has been entering cooking competitions at the Canfield Fair for the past 10 years. He's won numerous first-place ribbons for his cookies, muffins and candy, and a few for his breads, he said.
"My wife enters, and she's won quite a few ribbons too," he said, but she's never won best of show.
Does that mean he's now king of the kitchen?
"I wish I was. It's still her kitchen," he chuckled. "I use it whenever she lets me."
Potts has been cooking for as long as he can remember. In addition to baked goods and candy, he said he also enjoys making pasta sauces, soups and stews and cooks at least once a week.
"I took gourmet cooking classes, but I'm not a chef," Potts said. "It's just a fun thing for me -- and my wife never has to clean up after me. I think if you cook, you should clean up after yourself."
This year, Potts also won second-place ribbons for his three-layer peanut butter cookies and zucchini bread.
Getting men involved
The fair board has made a conscious effort to encourage men to enter domestic arts and crafts competitions, said Kathryn Bennett, the director who oversees the arts and crafts, floral and fine arts, and medical buildings.
Quite a few men enter the cooking competitions, in the past a few have entered quilting competitions, and the woodworking competitions have been all men, Bennett said.
"We're also trying to involve families," she said. For the kite-making and banner competition, new this year, at least one parent and child must be involved.
kubik@vindy.com