Lindbergh Merrssff to be 2011 G.O.H.

-Marina del Rey, CA
-The 2011 Feast Fest Guest of Honor, for whom the Ceremonial First Turkey is cooked and dedicated, will be Feast Fest legend Lindbergh Merrssff, said Executive Official Rita Willy midday Saturday.

"Lindbergh Merrssff will be our 2011 Guest of Honor, I am ecstatic and honored to report," Willy told reporters Saturday.

The Guest of Honor is usually a local celebrity, but Lindbergh Merrssff was chosen in honor of his 75th birthday. Former chefs or culinary noted names are chosen in place of local celebrities in the event of such significant events.

It is the first time since 2004 that a former chef has been the Guest of Honor. That year, the Ceremonial First Turkey was chowed down on by Kenneth Bastilion, and in 2002, L.A. Wild owners Jan and Suzy Jenkins served as Guests of Honor.

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Roasters "can be thanked for ... moister, higher-scoring" turkeys

-Marina del Rey, CA
-NCA Critic Lemance Bedeaux said Saturday that recent high individual ratings for Feast Fest turkeys have a stark potential connection to the switch from conventional ovens to specialized turkey roasters.

Bedeaux was interviewed Saturday. An NCA Critic, Bedeaux has critiqued and scored Feast Fest for fourteen years, and was asked for his predictions for FF 2011.

When asked about his predictions for individual foods, Bedeaux said, "Well, you know, [th]is [ear]ly in [the] game, it [is] hard to mak[e] those predi[ct]ions, but I can say that if they remain with the same methods with the tu[r]key, they will have great ratings in that depa[rt]men[t]."

When asked to explain his reasoning for this, Bedeaux added, "There [ha]s been a recent...revival of the
indiv[id]ual tu[r]key score, which I think can be attributed to [the] switch."

When asked what "switch" he referred to, Bedeaux elaborated further. "If you look at...the...chronological statistics...you shall see a great pe[rio]d, where there were great troubles...with the indiv[id]ual tu[r]key score...and you look and you see this stretch from about 2003 to 2007 where you were looking at, even when there were good overall scores, there were...very low indiv[id]ual tu[r]key scores by Feas[t] Fes[t] standards. Then came 2008, and the switch to roasters, and...just...boom...explosions of the scores. And you look at the logistical and chemical workings of both and compare them and see that the roasters have a design allowing for more moisture, which will consequently increase the indiv[id] tu[r]key scores."

FF Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt stated in response, "Mr. Bedeaux's statements could very well have weight. If we have another great individual turkey score this year, and one hopes we will, then we'll definitely investigate to see if the roasters may have made some contributions to the recent rise in turkey scores."




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