BLOOMDALE – Elmwood’s "Taste of Royalty" athletic fund-raiser creates great expectations for
those designated "celebrity chefs." After all, there’s an impressive tradition to live up to,
as tickets to the event sold out in each of the last two years.
Elmwood Superinten-dent Steve Pritts and his wife, Tracey, are up to the challenge.
They will be back with their deliriously delicious cream puffs, a huge hit at the 2008 event.
"They literally melt in your mouth," honesty compels Steve Pritts to admit.
"This is Tracey’s dessert. She is very good with breads and pastries and pies. I tend to
assist."
And assist he surely will, as the couple have their work cut out for them.
"We are making 300 of ’em, just Tracey and I. It’s a lot of work!"
The Pritts are only two of many celebrity chefs who have signed on to prepare a dish for Saturday. Among
others are former Elmwood home ec teacher Helen Neitz, who will be making Oriental salad; Sandy Tolbert,
dishing up gumbo; and Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn who plans to contribute sausage and
sauerkraut.
The event, set for 6 to 8 p.m. in the school auditeria, also features signature dishes from local
restaurants and vendors.
Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Advance tickets may still be purchased Friday during
school hours in the high school office. The single admission price provides access to sample all of the
participants’ dishes.
Pritts says his family has had the cream puffs recipe for over 20 years now.
"It started with our church when we lived in Columbus. They had an Oktoberfest and Tracey made them
for that for several years running."
The actual recipe is from split sources.
"The puffs (recipe) is from an old Betty Crocker book and the cream filling is something from the
family," reflecting Steve Pritts’ central European ancestry.
"My mom’s Polish and dad’s German,” both countries known for delicious pastries and desserts.
“As a child, no matter what relative’s house you went to, there was food on the table. It didn’t matter
what time of day. I’m not sure if it’s the healthiest plan” but it did make visitors feel very welcome.

The couple are originally from Pataskala, a town east of Columbus. They and their three children moved to
Elmwood when Pritts was named superintendent five years ago. Son Joe is currently a freshman at the high
school and daughter Taylor is a senior. Casey is a student at the University of Findlay.
When Steve and Tracey occupy the kitchen together they mesh cooking styles.
“She is very recipe driven, needs to have that exact proportion; where I am a little more creative. I
think that combination works out well.”
Pritts’ own specialty is grilling chicken or steaks. Also, “if there’s fish involved in the menu, I
usually do the fish.”
The family, who very much enjoy traveling, managed to save up for a memorable — and tasty — trip to Costa
Rica last summer.
“We saw an active volcano, and we just love the food there. It’s a great opportunity to have fresh fish,
fresh fruit. Their pastries and breads are just outstanding. We would go to the small towns and there
was always an open bakery.” Regularly, the bakeries featured a bread flavored with a hint of pineapple
that Pritts recalls fondly.
When the couple served their own cream puffs at last year’s Taste of Royalty “we just had a lot of
compliments. The year before was the Texas sheet cake. That was also extremely popular.”
Two optional upgrades were offered with the cream puffs — a dollop of whipped cream and, for the truly
decadent, a drizzle of chocolate syrup atop the puff.
Pritts says all three variations will be offered this year as well.

Cream Puffs
Shells
1 cup water
½ cup butter or margarine (1 stick)
1 cup flour
4 eggs
Bring water and butter to a boil over medium/high heat. Add flour and beat until mixture is smooth.
Remove from heat and stir in eggs. Continue beating until smooth. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto
ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Cool, slice in half and
remove any doughy centers. Fill with chilled cream filling. Top with powdered sugar or drizzled
chocolate and serve.
Cream Filling
2 small boxes of French Vanilla instant pudding
3 cups milk
1 8 oz. bar cream cheese (softened)
1 8 oz. container whipped cream
Beat cream cheese until soft and smooth. Add pudding mix and milk alternately and beat until smooth. Stir
in whipped cream and chill.