FAIRMONT — Two new winners emerged at the 22nd annual Martin County Blue Ribbon Pork Cook Off on Wednesday evening at the Martin County Fair.

After the Cup N’ Saucer of Sherburn snagged first place the last five years, the restaurant sat it out this time around.

Green Mill Restaurant of Fairmont won first place in the connoisseur division with a German pork spaetzle topped with sundried tomato pesto and garnished with a pumpernickel crumble.

The Blazer Bar took first place in the people’s choice division with a pulled pork corn chowder made with local meat.

Rounding out the connoisseur division winners were Butcher Block in third place with butter garlic pork cutlets. The Blazer Bar placed second.

Scotty Biggs BBQ got third place in people’s choice, serving pull pork sliders with a cranberry bacon coleslaw. The Marina Lodge placed second with pork carnitas enchiladas, topped with queso fresco and a cilantro lime sauce.

Rose Lake Golf Club also participated, serving pulled pork with white and wild rice.

Carrie Scheerle of Blazer Bar, which won with a pulled pork corn chowder, said, “You can eat soup any day of the year, even when it’s hot out.”

Scheerle said she is known as the soup lady at the Blazer, which makes and serves homemade soup. She said she doesn’t write down her recipes, but tries to re-create soups her grandma made.

Cody Lane was behind Green Mill’s German pork spaetzle creation. He has worked as a cook at Perkins in Fairmont for four years but has been interning with Green Mill this summer. He attends Johnson and Wales University in Colorado, where he is studying culinary arts and food management.

On winning, Lane said, “I wasn’t expecting it. I was expecting to do well and maybe place third as Green Mill has in the past.”

Lane said he really was trying to impress the judges and that it was important to him to please other chefs.

The various dishes were sampled by 400 ticket-holders, who together voted for the people’s choice division winner.

The dishes were also tested by several judges with different backgrounds who together chose the connoisseur division winner. The judges included Justin Berhow, executive chef at Olde Brick House in Cold Spring; David Preisler, executive director of the Minnesota Pork Producers Association; and Tim McCarty, executive chef sodexo at the Mayo Foundation House.

Nearly every year, all 400 tickets have been sold. Proceeds fund two $4,200 scholarships from the agribusiness committee of the Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce. This year’s scholarships were given to Andrew Moeller and Nicolas Potthoff.

The event is sponsored by the Agri-Business Committee of the Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce, Martin County Pork Producers and Martin County Corn and Soybean Growers.