WILKINSON COUNTY, Ga. — The State Banana Pudding Festival of Georgia happens in Irwinton this Saturday. It's where they will crown the best sweet dish in Georgia.
They will then send the winner off to nationals.
Kathy Brewer Thompson has already collected some banana bounty.
"There's only two spaces -- winners and losers," she said sternly.
Kathy is what you would call a "top banana." She's written her own cookbook.
"All of my siblings -- there's ten of us -- have recipes in there," she said holding it up.
But her mom's banana pudding creation is what put her on the path to glory. It's in the book, but Kathy made some changes to it.
"Now, I'm going to be adding my whole milk," she said while stating you can't use skim or 2% milk. You'll want to listen to every tidbit she rattles off.
Kathy won the State Banana Pudding title, and then she slipped on over to Tennessee and took the national one, too.
"I just jumped up and screamed I was so happy," she recalled.
And Kathy is not a "jump-up-and-scream" person -- to win, she banked a few key things like never using generic ingredients.
"I've done it before and it's not as good, she said.
She even went to 12 stores to find a box of full size Nabisco Vanilla Wafers.
We can't give you all her secrets because she wants to bake her way into another trip to Tennessee where nationals happen, but we can peel back the layers a bit.
Even if she wins it all, it won't be the same.
"I won it in 2019 and that was the last trip we got to make before he went and met Jesus in 2020," she said sadly, as she spoke about her late husband Lamar.
She lost her husband, who was her best friend and biggest fan.
Lamar even wore a banana shirt to nationals and when she won.
"You would have thought I'd won governor of the state," she said.
The fierce competitor is playing with a tender spirit, but she'll put on her game face in Irwinton this weekend and carry on.
"I'll miss him, but he's with me -- he's in my heart," she said touching her chest.
We know she might not go bananas, but she's a good bet for another trophy bowl.
Kathy says another key to a good pudding is patience, patience, patience.
Sign-ups are full, but if you go, you can taste the pudding.
There will also be an arts and crafts festival with 60 vendors.
It runs from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Saturday afternoon.