The smell of overheated chocolate wafted through the Presidents Hall building at the fairgrounds Monday morning. But it didn’t come from the cookies, pies or cakes mixed in with Hershey’s baking goodies, the first Hershey’s Cocoa Classic Premier Chocolate Baking Contest at the Kitsap County Fair.

The chocolate scent in the air came from Lisa Evinrude’s breakfast. The Food Department’s superintendent was setting up in the food judging area, just inside and to the right of the hall’s entrance.

Evinrude was one of the few who could afford to have breakfast that morning. Four of her six judges, who would be biting into 400-some baking entries Monday, were on a diet of water and baby carrots, to help cleanse their palates.

While most other departments had already arranged their displays with the award ribbons pinned to the winning entries, at 9 a.m. the food judges were just cutting up the first bread loaf into small slices they would each taste.

The judges go through a special food judging class in which they are prepared for the big day.

“In judging school they learn all the guidelines and rules,” Evinrude said.

She explained the judges are trained to first notice

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