Not only did the judges taste the barbecue, the macaroni and cheese and the salads, so did the audience.

Wednesday’s cook-off at the Wood County Fair had everything you’d expect at a cookout.

Jessica Nagel, who organized the competition, said the event has been ongoing for nearly a decade.

The theme changes every year, she said, and there are always four menu items in which to compete.

Last year the theme was pasta; this year, cookout.

“The judges taste everything and then we set it out for the general public to see if the agree,” Nagel said.

Everything from the barbecue chicken and pulled pork, to the mac and cheese and the pasta salads tasted good enough that they all could have been winners.

Tammy Feehan and Carol Hardy were the judges.

Hardy, who used to operate Personal Touch Catering, said she judges all over Northwest Ohio.

The entries were a good variety, she said, and were delicious.

“All of them had really strong and flavorful profiles,” said Feehan, who also is a returning judge.

“It was interesting with the categories, the flair everyone put on it,” she said.

Some recipes were spicy, some were traditional, Feehan said.

Nik Grames, a chef at BG Burgers, was supposed to be the third judge but was kept away by work.

Entries are not cooked on site; ovens and refrigerators were provided by Frank’s Appliances.

There were six barbecue entries, nine mac and cheese entries, six different salads and four tinfoil dinners.

“This one pretty much stays the same. We don’t have a lot of fluctuation,” Nagel said about the number of entries.

Even the people in the audience return year after year, she said.

“Because they know A: they get free lunch at the fair, and B: they love to try out the different recipes,” Nagel said.

Angel Mercer took first place with her shredded barbecue chicken, deviled egg pasta salad, and bacon/chicken/ranch tinfoil dinner; and second place in the macaroni and cheese.

Mercer said her grandmother and her mom cook.

“They were always in the kitchen, and that’s something I’ve always done,” she said.

She comes from a 4-H family, having been in Farmcrafters club. Her two children, who are now adults, were also members.

Debbie Weihl was a first-place winner with her smoked mac and cheese; and placed second with her smoked meatloaf, tomato, cucumber and feta cheese salad and her tinfoil meal.

Joyce Fausnaugh finished third in the barbecue, and Bruce Kidder took third in the mac and cheese.

Nagel makes the cook-off recipes available to the audience.

“I like to do competitions,” said Sharon Strapmann, who placed third with her pasta salad. “This particular one, you get to sample so you can see what other people made.”

Norma Lyberger said the first year of the cook-off contest, she took first place with her “Momwich” — her take on Manwich.

She made a pop-can chicken for the barbecue entry, using soda because she doesn’t drink beer. She got the recipe from NBC-TV personality Al Roker, who shared it on television years ago.

The competition was started to promote agricultural commodities such as pork, beef and chicken, Nagel said. Since then, they have evolved to include produce, such as potatoes, corn and zucchini.

“We wanted to feature different kinds of culinary art,” Nagel said, adding that not everyone is a good baker.