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Anyone who knows Faith Farrell can attest to the fact that she is a master when it comes to creating art, whether it is painting murals, sculpting or making a 3-D picture mosaic. She is an extremely talented artist, utilizing a variety of different mediums to express herself.

Now, Farrell can say she is just as creative in the kitchen as she is in an artist’s studio and the world of SPAM will never be the same.

Farrell, a Chisago Lakes High School grad who now lives in northeast Minneapolis, earned top honors last week for her winning entry in the SPAM Recipe Contest at the Minnesota State Fair.

The judges took their time sampling and critiquing more than 40 entries in the annual contest, but eventually announced their favorite: SPAMsgiving Day Delight, Farrell’s entry.

Farrell said she has submitted SPAM recipes for the past two years of the contest, but realized the dishes were perhaps “too spicy or a little too different” to earn top honors.

This year, she started thinking about what really draws Minnesotans to the dinner table.

“Minnesotans are all about comfort and hotdishes,” Farrell said. “So I started thinking, what else is a comfort food and the first thing I thought was the Thanksgiving meal.”

Through numerous taste-test sessions with friends, Farrell fine-tuned her recipe, which she describes as “everything good about Thanksgiving Day leftovers.” It starts with Pillsbury crescent rolls, wrapped around a mixture of light or turkey SPAM, cranberry sauce, cream cheese and sage and topped off with Durkee fried onions.

Farrell complied with the rules of the contest by including 10 or less ingredients and creating a dish that could be ready in 30 minutes or less. “It’s very easy and if you like Thanksgiving leftovers, you’ll like this.”

She was surrounded by friends when the contest announcement came and let out a scream when her creation was chosen. Along with a cash prize, Farrell’s name will be put in a “Hall of Fame” at the SPAM Museum in Austin, Mn.

An accomplished artist, Farrell also submits entries each year to the State Fair’s Fine Arts competitions. She earned third place in this year’s Seed Art contest and a painting of Farrell’s was among 348 works selected for display in the Fine Arts exhibit, from a pool of 1,758 entries.

The third place winner in the SPAM kid's recipe contest this year was Peter Bliven of Lindstrom, with his Cheesy Honey SPAM creation. The Blivens have consistently earned one of the top spots in the contest for the last few years.

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