Email: purplehull@juno.com
Web site: www.purplehull.com
Phillip Scarborough wasn’t able to compete in last year’s Great PurpleHull
Peas and Cornbread Cook Off.
The three-time purple hull pea-cooking champ from Texarkana, Texas, had business obligations in Massachusetts. The cook off, part of the Emerson, Arkansas PurpleHull Pea Festival, had to proceed without its defending champ.
To make matters worse, the Travel Channel program Taste of America was in Emerson at the cook off in 2007. Scarborough missed his chance to achieve national pea-cooking fame via a national television cable channel.
But at the 2008 festival Saturday, Scarborough was back, once again winning the cooking competition he has won every time he’s entered.
What’s the pea-cooking champ’s secret?
Scarborough won’t divulge the recipe. But he did reveal one aspect to his cooking he believes gives him an edge.
“Most of the local cooks get up early that morning and cook their peas,” said Scarborough. “Living in Texarkana, I cook my peas the night before. Some things taste better after they’ve set a while.”
In addition to Scarborough, the cook off is seeing a trend toward more men in the competition. In fact, men won in half the categories.
Billy Samples of Emerson won in the cornbread division of the cook off, while Jim Miller of Emerson won in the salsa category.
Full results of the cook off:
Best Purple Hull Peas:
1. Phillip Scarborough – Texarkana, Texas
2. Jennifer Sprayberry – Emerson, Arkansas
3. Julia Easter – Emerson, Arkansas
Best Cornbread:
1. Billy Samples – Emerson, Arkansas
2. Julia Easter – Emerson, Arkansas
3. Linda Miller – Emerson, Arkansas
Best Condiment:
1. Totsie Hines – Emerson, Arkansas
2. Phillip Scarborough – Texarkana, Texas
3. Linda Miller – Emerson, Arkansas
Best Original Dish with Purple Hull Peas:
1. Brenda Samples – Emerson, Arkansas
2. Linda Miller – Emerson, Arkansas
Best Salsa:
1. Jim Miller – Emerson, Arkansas
2. Lunch Room Ladies – Emerson, Arkansas
3. Marie Shepherd – Emerson, Arkansas
Best Cobbler:
1. Marie Shepherd – Emerson, Arkansas
2. Peggy Callender – Emerson, Arkansas
3. Lunch Room Ladies – Emerson, Arkansas
This was the sixth year the Great PurpleHull Peas & Cornbread Cook Off has been part of the Emerson PurpleHull Pea Festival.
After the cook off, those in attendance who had gathered to watch the competition were invited to sample the entries.
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