Pueblo West family wins Kitchen Royalty Award at state fair for the 7th time in last 17 years

Pueblo, Colo. (KRDO) - The Colorado State Fair is a place where many families come to have fun every year. But for the Romero family, it's more than an experience, it's a decades-long tradition to take part in, particularly the pantry contest.

The Romero family has been competing in this contest since 2006 and six of them have taken home the Kitchen Royalty Prize, one of them even winning twice. But, the latest Youth Kitchen Royalty winner in the family is 17-year-old Joshua Romero.

"It was just a lot of work from trying to carry on the legacy," said Joshua Romero.

Joshua's grandmother, LaDean Silberhorn, helped take on the task of teaching her grandkids how to can and bake. Silberhorn said her mother was a prolific canner.

"She canned everything. Fruits, vegetables, you name it," said Silberhorn.

But, she added that her mom never taught her exactly how to do it.

"I said, hey, if we can read a book, we can, can. And so that's what we did. I bought a canning book. We read up, and that's how we got started with canning," said Silberhorn.

The family said the secret to winning is not just about the taste of the food but the presentation.

"You have to see how that looks to the judge in the jar. You want all the carrots lined up in a row. You want all the green beans nice and straight," said Silberhorn.

The winner of the State Royalty prize wins $50 and a plaque. They also win more money for additional placements in other categories. The family said they don't know exactly how much money they will win since Joshua won a lot of first-place ribbon prizes, but they're expecting to win at least a couple hundred dollars.