KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Lake County is full of wonderful bakers who research and test their recipes all year long.

This year's Kelseyville Pear Festival Pear Dessert Contest, held in conjunction with the Kelseyville Pear Festival, once again showed off that talent. 

The grand winner this year was Martha Rose of Lakeport, who took first place with her white chocolate spiced rum pear-amisu, 3rd place for her Anjou rose pear tart and fourth place for her salted carmel pearclairs. 

Rebecca Molloy of Clearlake took second place with her pear pie fries while Cassandra Hagemann, also of Clearlake, took fifth place with her gingersnap cheesecake. 
 
In addition to the winners there were many delicious entries from other local bakers including Sue Wallace Andre, Shirley Hunter, Thom Karopoulos, Sasha Reynolds and Carolyn Williams. 

Judges for the contest were Madelene Lyon, a local caterer; Marcie Cadora, local restaurateur; and Chris Mansell of Lake Parts, the local sponsor for the contest.

Rose, a frequent winner over the last four years of the contest, has offered to chair the dessert contest next year. The Pear Festival Committee is thrilled by her offer. 

Rose is very happy that she can continue to be involved. “Instead of devoting the next year to creating and studying recipes for next year’s contest, I will be developing new ideas for the contest in hopes of building it to be bigger and better,” she said.

She now suspends her role as contender and takes up the “director” role.