At 13 and 15, these sisters are kings of the kitchen

A pair of Columbia Falls sisters are proving to be top chefs.

Emma and Chloe Ervin recently came home with medals from the 4-H Food Fair at the Kalispell Center Mall.

Emma won grand champion in cookies and other desserts for her cream puffs and macaroons while Chloe was a grand champion for her Italian meatball stew and her guacamole in the soups, stews, chowders and appetizer division.

The two said they both started cooking at the tender age of 5, with that staple of staples: eggs. They’ve moved on to much better things over the years, Chloe, 15, likes the savory side, while Emma, 13, enjoys baking. The two both learned from their mother, Tricia, as well as a host of online cooking shows and cookbooks. Their father, Olaf, is a surveyor.

They also get plenty of practice — the Ervin family has seven children in all, and someone is always hungry. A plate of chocolate chip cookies doesn’t last long, the girls note.

“If I make them at night, you’re lucky if there’s any left in the morning,” Emma said.

The sisters are both members of the Halfmoon Highlanders 4-H club. Emma would love to go onto to be a professional baker, but she’s not sure if she will — she’s also a type I diabetic, so she can’t really sample her work along the way. If baking doesn’t pan out, she hopes to be a pediatric endocrinologist.

There’s short-term wants in the interim. Emma’s been baking loaves of bread lately and selling them to her grandparents. She wants to raise enough cash to buy a puppy.

It’s a farm-to-table family. They have a six-acre spread just north of Columbia Falls. Chloe raised three steers last year — Radar, Hawkeye and B.J. Hawkeye and B.J. were sold at the fair. The money for that goes toward the college fund. They butchered Radar and he ended up in the champion stew.

They also raise pigs and chickens.

Chloe’s favorite meal showcases a pig. It’s a seared pork roast, slow cooked for 12 hours with side dishes of corn and bacon chowder and mashed potatoes.

With Emma’s perfect macaroons filled with velvety ganache for dessert, it’s a meal made in heaven.