Being one of the most widely consumed and healthiest proteins in the world, poultry is prepared and served in myriad ways but nowhere with such zeal and competitive fervor as during the Poultry Festival All-Member Cooking Competition. Teams pull out all the stops in various categories, including booth decoration, for awards, bragging rights and, for the top team, the title of Grand Champion.
Few participants have had as much to crow about in this arena as Wayne-Sanderson Farms, for whom the cooking competition is practically a full-contact sport. The company’s record is dynastic, having scored awards during 19 of the past 20 years, according to Nancy Frick, administrative assistant and undisputed field general for the company cooking team.
Nancy Frick
“It’s really just become a huge tradition with my coworkers and family for 20 years,” Frick said. “My husband works here, as well. He is the live operations manager here. My kids participate. It’s just a huge family event for us. In fact, in 2011, we had a baby, and she’s called the Festival Baby because I did not miss the competition.”
As someone who birthing could not keep down, it is fair to wonder what, if anything, could keep Frick from designing, planning and ultimately executing a winning entry. A couple of years ago, she got her answer as colorectal cancer forced her to focus on her treatment and leave the cooking competition that year to others.
“I attended the 2024 Festival, but I was not able to help with booth decoration, any of that stuff,” she said. “I attended Friday night because my boss was receiving an award and I did not want to miss that, but I was so sick. I was taking chemo treatment, like, a couple days before, and I remember going to the banquet, and as soon as I visited with everybody, my husband was like, ‘We’re going home.’
“The team tried, bless their hearts. They set up a booth, but they didn’t decorate it, so they didn’t do the booth competition. They did do the chicken competition, but they didn’t place. I don’t think we’d ever come home without a trophy except for that, so everybody was kind of bummed around here.”
Last year, led by their rejuvenated leader, Wayne-Sanderson Farms roared back to form demolishing the competition and took home the Grand Champion trophy, putting the chicken world on notice that things were back to normal.
“I love this place. Wayne-Sanderson Farms is so awesome,” she said. “You know how some people hate going to their jobs? I don’t. When I was gone for a year and a half, almost two years it was just, ugh. The company was so good to me. This is my home.”
Festival photos by Russell Bloodworth Photography
