This blogging stuff is going to be short and sweet, okay folks? It’s going to be hard to hold a camera and a notebook and your stomach in your throat all at the same time for a few straight hours.

Sammy Piccolo is maybe the most practiced competitor here today, and this is the smoothest, calmest, happiest, most zen I’ve ever seen him perform. He seems so genuinely relaxed and grateful, he’s engaging 100% with the judges and it doesn’t seem remotely fake. He’s not even perspiring. And lest you think I’m racking up a slew of backhanded compliments, I’m really not: being this at peace and on message at this stage of competition both seems completely natural and completely impossible. A grapefruit almost spins out of Sammy’s hand and, you know? Everything is gonna be fine.

Sammy’s signature drink is based on an organic grapefruit and cane sugar reduction, thermal mixere’d on stage, combined with creme fraiche, it’s deeply caramel and sweetly grapefruity all at once. I notice there are no Canadian flags here in the room. That’s because that’s how Canadians are I guess.

Okay. Giving the computer back to the chatters. (thank you!) 

Will aim to be more informative next post.