Fairmont's favorite competitive cook, Carolyn Blakemore, dies at age 95

Oct. 13—FAIRMONT — After years of warming hearts and collecting trophies and blue ribbons for her cooking, Carolyn Blakemore, of Fairmont, has died. She was 95.

"When she moved to Fairmont, she wanted to be a cultured lady. When she became a cultured lady, she became a cooking queen," said Gabrielle Anderson, Blakemore's granddaughter.

During her 30-plus year hobby as a competitive cook, Blakemore collected hundreds of blue ribbons for cooking everything from pies to chili and in between.

"She was the matriarch of the competition," Anderson said. "She was everybody's cooking grandma. She became everybody's grandma."

Anderson often accompanied Blakemore to the various competitions all the way from Hawaii to Orlando, Florida and points all over the map.

"She literally had friends all over the world," Anderson said. "She was a simple coal miner and farmer's daughter who wanted to get off the (Kingmont) farm and become a city girl."

Anderson said Blakemore had made so many friends at cooking competitions that after she'd check out of her hotel, the hotel's general manager would ship her pies to West Virginia as a courtesy.

During her career, Blakemore's recipes and foods have been published in such prestigious publications as "Better Homes and Gardens" as well as having been featured on "The Today Show" where she was interviewed by the late Willard Scott, the show's weather forecaster. Her pie recipes have also been published in the cookbook, "America's Best Pies."

"She did everything she could to put Fairmont on the map," Anderson said.

Anderson said when her grandmother was required to submit her recipes for various competitions, she would provide only the base ingredients to prevent from divulging the secret stuff that made the dish uniquely hers.

"She would only give them the base," Anderson said. "The family was sworn to secrecy."

In 2018, Blakemore hung up her apron and competed in her last event. She brought home first place at the 2018 American Pie Championships for her strawberry rhubarb pie.

Having learned how to cook in high school during home economics class, Blakemore seldom taste-tested her creations. She told The Times West Virginian in 2018, that she knows what approach to take when preparing for a pie bake-off that had multiple categories.

"You take the category and you figure out what you want to do with it," Blakemore said in 2018. "If it says 'Apple,' then I start thinking about West Virginia golden delicious apples, because that's my favorite apple.

Blakemore admitted that pies were her specialty, but she also loved to cook chili.

In 2014, Blakemore won first place in the raisin category in the Crisco National Pie Championship for her Raisin Delite Pie, where she beat 16 other competitors.

In 2009, she represented West Virginia in the same competition on the Food Network, and won awards for three out of seven pies she made — Sweet Potato with Pecan Topping Pie, first place; Golden Apple Pie, second; and Classy Cherry Pie, third.

"I like to make pies. After chili, you need some pie," she said, laughing in a 2014 interview.

In 1978, she won second place in the West Virginia Cookoff at Jackson's Mill. Determined not to settle for second place, in 1979, she entered again and won first place.

"Chili is something everyone can enjoy. What I like about mine is I've had children back for seconds and tell me how much they liked my chili. That makes me feel really good that children and adults can enjoy my chili."

She won state chili cook-offs in Maryland, Ohio and Kentucky, and represented those states at the world cook-off.

Blakemore was a finalist in the National Chicken Cooking Contest twice, in 1993 with Roasted Pepper Chicken Rolls and, in 1997, with Chicken Rolls with Cranberry Filling.

In Blakemore's honor, Anderson will compete this weekend in the 38th ChiliFest in downtown Huntington.

"She competed in International Chili Society events for 50 years, so we're going to go to Huntington and carry on her legacy for her," Anderson said.

Family and friends can call at Ford Funeral Home, 201 Columbia St., Fairmont, Monday, Oct. 17 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. followed by the funeral.

Reach Eric Cravey at 304-367-2523.