Stunning $25 Raspberry Chino Farms Popsicle Is Awarded 5 Nods From Nancy Silverton, But Banned From World Competition

An hour after arriving Sunday at Chino Farms for a "Mozza at Home" book signing, "Fumin' Fred" Chino brought out a raspberry popsicle like he was carrying letters of transit out of Casablanca.  

He guardedly looked around, then, in a swift movement  handed it to me. I took a lick and a bite and passed it on. Nancy started licking. She nodded. And nodded, Licked more. And nodded. Sucked. And nodded. And -after a long, slow suck - she gave up the fifth, - and imperial nod. Nancy had given out her highest - and rarest  - rating. Five Nods 

That rave review eased some - though not all - of the sting out of the bombshell, election eve news Monday evening from Switzerland that the Chino Farms popsicle had been banned from the upcoming World Ice Pop Championships in Geneva. Judges ruled it had the unfair advantage of using more than five baskets of Chino Farms raspberries for a single ice pop and that the cost - reportedly 25 bucks a pop - was not doable for most of the planet's population..

Fumin Fred Chino was typical.

"They can go fuck themselves," Fumin Fred said.  "I'd rather have five nods from Nancy than some stupid world championship."