On July 14, I issued a challenge to all makers of food and grog to send me their best offerings. Today, The NEWS proudly announces the winners in all categories.

You may recall that my own dandelion wine-making efforts instigated the contest. The dandelion wine is progressing well and I have since launched an inaugural batch of blackberry wine.

Unfortunately, there were no grog entries in our inaugural Best Makers contest. The food categories stole the show.

The Grand Prize winner in the Best Makers in HVAC contest is David Gordon of Daniel Engineering Co. in Bowie, Md., and Chuck Kline of Chuck’s Butcher Shop, Bryans Road, Md., (formerly of Westinghouse and McQuay fame) for their kangaroo jerky in the Kangaroo Jerky Category. Gordon and Kline also won several First Place awards, and an Honorable Mention, displaying a tremendous flair for variety.

The Grand Prize winning kangaroo jerky was unsurpassed in flavor, and more moist and tender than I expected. I recommend it to jerky lovers everywhere. However, in the interest of full disclosure, it was only an Australian recipe for beef jerky. No kangaroos were tied down, mate.

The duo also took top honors in the Buffalo Jerky Category, the Cajun Jerky Category, and the Spicy Jerky Category. However, the Cajun seemed a bit spicier than the Spicy. The Soy & Garlic Jerky only received an Honorable Mention in that category because the judge had a date with a pretty woman later that night.

For more information on Gordon and Kline’s jerky, contact Chuck’s Butcher Shop, 301-375-8371.