Three sisters won the top three places in cookies & candies — Ellen McCarthy was first with Cuban Lunch Candies, Claire Spriggs was second with White Chocolate Key Lime Calypso Bars, and Marie Wood was third with Oh! Chocolate Banana Bars. McCarthy also landed second place in diet foods with Thai Lettuce Wraps With Cilantro, and Spriggs had a third place in salads with Warm Steak and Potato Salad.

The fourth sister, Lydia Keene, captured the salads category with Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp Salad.

First-time participant in the Taste-off Penny Ray of Nashville got the judges’ attention in appetizers with her Hot Cheesy Shrimp Dip and won the category with Marie Wood coming in second with Warm Turnip Dip.

Sandra Harrell got almost a perfect score — 24 out of a possible 25 — with her Key Lime Bread in the breads category. Sandra Di Pietro was second with Wheat-Free/Gluten-Free Banana Bread followed by Jennifer Vance with Sour Cream and Herb Muffins. Vance also landed second places in both salads with Chicken Salad with a Peanut-Lime Vinaigrette and desserts with Cranberry Cupcakes with Dulce De Leche Pecan Frosting.

Betty Becton was second to the eventual Grand Prize Runner-up in Vegetables with her Pineapple Casserole followed by Deanna Smith with Raspberry-Glazed Beets with Chevre. Smith also won third places in both meats with Pork Loin Chops with Pear-and-Vidalia Pan Gravy and diet foods with Pork Pot Pies with Corn Pudding Crust.

Verna Looney landed third place in desserts with Seven-Layer Red Velvet Cake while her 10-year-old granddaughter, Tiffany Hicks, was second in the children’s category followed by 13-year-old Lauren Reed of Hahira with Cream Cheese Chippers.

Teresa Davis of Homerville, participating in the Taste-off for only the second year, won the diet foods category with Farmer’s Market Salad.

For a complete list of the Taste-off participants, see the accompanying list — as well as a page of pictures Tuesday from the Taste-off.

The 40th Anniversary Cookbook will be a part of the July issue of Valdosta Scene magazine.

• THE WINNERS

Grand Prize Winner

— Teresa Steinberg