La Verne Couple's Cooking Skills Prove Prize Worthy

Two La Verne residents who Saturday scored second place finishes in cooking contests at the Los Angeles County Fair have more than chef skills in common.

Steven and Virginia Joines also are husband and wife.

Virginia won a second place prize in the fair’s eggroll competition with her traditional Filipino lumpia.  Chef Leslie said that the lumpia was a very close second to the first-place finisher.

Steven’s second-place finish came in the hummus category. Judges raved about his roasted red pepper creation, with one describing it as having a fantastic spicy flavor.

“You don’t taste the spiciness at first. But once you have swallowed the hummus you get a really wonderful kick,” one judge said.