CASSOPOLIS — When Amy Archer found a penny, she saw it as a good luck sign from her grandmother.

Archer, the Niles teacher’s aide at Howard Ellis who more than held her own with the men in Cass County Fair’s sixth annual Backyard Chef contest Saturday, received reserve grand champion and submitted the best side dish, bacon-and-bleu grilled potato salad.

Archer’s grandma, Norma Krueger, who died in September, was her kitchen and canning mentor.

She also kept her eyes peeled for lucky copper coins to find.

“After I set everything up, I  took a short little walk over by the bathrooms,” Archer said, “looked down and there was a penny. When I saw it I knew Granny was here. She was all the time finding pennies. I grilled a little bit of everything and entered each category because I was up against some professionals and I was feeling the pressure. My only critics are my family. Last year was my first year. I enjoy cooking and competing. I won my grill in another contest and I won the chili contest at the Niles winter festival.”

Rain “you just deal with,” said Archer, assisted by her daughter, Emily. She lives in Cass County on Barron Lake Road.

“It cooled down my charcoal a little bit,” she said, “but I just scooted my grill in closer so I didn’t have to get out in the rain to check on things. It takes the temperature down. When people scattered to stay dry (under the Agnes Gregarek Building), I had more coming over for samples.”

Larry Cole of Granger, Ind., won $500 repeating as grilling grand champion with 343.43, to 335.43 for Archer, who collected $250.

A deluge swamped the fairgrounds just before judging was to begin.

Ken Ramsey of Cassopolis stood in water as he cooked.

“We doubled up on the charcoal and got the fire back up to temperature,” Cole said of the cooling rain which can throw off a griller’s timing.

“I’ve got a bigger tent, but I didn’t bring it,” Cole said, “so my grill was outside and the temperature was just dropping. I’ve got a couple of temperature gauges. My beef hit medium rare about four minutes before the end of turn-in time — and I was worried it was going to be done too soon. It not only went past turn-in time, but all the way down to the last few minutes at the end of the half hour. Rain always goofs these contests up. I’ve been to the Apple Festival a few times, and up here. I like it here because it’s a nice, easy contest and close to home. I went to Terre Haute (Ind.) because I lived there, but I stunk the place up. Jon (Silveus) and I go to Madison, Ind., together. We do roughly two a year. Madison, on the Ohio River, there’s 60 barbecue teams. Those guys bring $600,000 motor homes and $20,000 grills and their wives bring their $50,000 trucks with their trailers and their golf carts on them, so we’re competing with the big boys down there with oil drum grills and Webers. Those guys have humidity controls — rain forests— inside their grills. That’s a tough contest. Cass County Fair is great. We’re going to see if we can get more people to come.”

Side dishes

First place ($100) — Amy Archer, 98.29.
Second place ($50) — Judith Birkshire, 93.14
Third place — Amy Archer, 92.

Propane beef

First place ($100) — Amy Archer, 159.43.

Propane pork

First place ($100) — Amy Archer, 168.57.
Second place ($50) — Jerry Reeves, 148.57.
Third place — Ken Ramsey, 126.29.

Propane poultry

First place ($100) — Ken Ramsey, 150.29.
Second place ($50) — Amy Archer, 148.

Charcoal beef

First place ($100) — Larry Cole, 172.
Second place ($50) — Amy Archer, 165.14.
Third place — Judith Birkshire, 157.71.

Charcoal pork

First place ($100) — Larry Cole, 171.43.
Second place ($50) — Amy Archer, 166.86.
Third place — Judith Birkshire, 157.71.

Charcoal poultry

First place ($100) — Larry Cole, 168.
Second place ($50) — Jon Silveus, 160.57.
Third place — James Brazo, 159.43.