Cooking competitions bring spark of joy during cancer fight
Victoria Geib of Bellefontaine won first place for dessert and best of show overall with her Vintage Harbor Tiramisu recipe at the Ohio Wines Love at First Sip Competition at the Ohio State Fair. (PHOTO | GEIB FAMILY)
For Chef Victoria Geib, the chance to do a little baking and also stretch her creative cooking skills in both local and state-level competitions has brought a sense of peace and happiness to her life.
Last year, the city resident was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. While she hasn’t been able to work as a professional chef like she used to while undergoing treatment, baking and cooking competitions at the Ohio State Fair and the Logan County Fair have provided an enjoyable outlet for her. And she’s found a niche for garnering some of the top awards.
In fact, during the 2017 Ohio State Fair, which concluded Aug. 6, Geib received first place for dessert and a Best in Show Overall Award for her Vintage Harbor Tiramisu in the Ohio Wines Love at First Sip Competition. Her honey bread also placed third at the state fair this year.
At the Logan County Fair, she won the grand champion cookie in 2016, and this year, received a first place award for her chocolate chip cookies. She said she enjoys entering cookies, pies, and cakes in the fair’s open class home products competition.
“I really enjoy baking. I used to work as a chef before being diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer in 2016. Since then, I like doing fairs and cooking for friends and family when I’m able.
“It gives me a little bit of my normalcy that I enjoyed before cancer and helps me use my skills I’ve learned over the years.”
Read complete story in Monday’s Examiner.
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