Paula Deen’s husband looks a lot like Ernest Hemingway. I know this because the exuberant “Food Network” star was at Sloppy Joe’s Bar in Key West to cheer for her white-bearded spouse when he competed in the 2012 “Papa” Hemingway Look-Alike Contest.

Paula Deen tweaks her husband Michael Groover's Hemingwayesque beard as he prepares to compete in Sloppy Joe's "Papa" Hemingway Look-Alike Contest. (All photos by Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

His name is Michael Groover, and Paula said he’d been telling her about the contest for a long time.

“We’ve been together probably 12 years and married almost nine, and the only thing that he has consistently said to me over the years is ‘I want to go win the Ernest Hemingway look-alike’,” she related.

He didn’t win this year, but he did make the final round — which Paula felt was fitting for several reasons.

“He has got the Hemingway soul,” she said in her rich Southern voice as she watched the final round at Sloppy Joe’s, surrounded by the wives of former winners and longtime competitors. “He’s all man, honey — he’s truthful and honest and (has) really got the spirit.”

He also has a striking, dark-browed look of Ernest Hemingway in his later years. And if his and Paula’s schedules permit, with luck Michael will return next year to continue his quest for the title of Papa.

Greg Fawcett (second from left), gives an exuberant salute just after winning the 2012 contest.

If he does, he’ll be judged by a panel that includes 64-year-old North Carolina investment banker Greg Fawcett, who won the 2012 contest on his 10th attempt.

“Thank you, Ernest!” Greg hollered as his name was announced and the judges — all past winners — swarmed to congratulate him, slap him enthusiastically on the back and welcome him to their exclusive fraternity.

Greg credited his win mostly to establishing a camaraderie with the judges and being willing to help with their activities and support their scholarship fund.

The Papas, by the way, have raised and awarded more than $100,000 to Florida Keys students over the years … an incredible amount.

Paying attention to the Hemingway look, Greg said, was another big part of the winning equation.

“I started timing my haircuts and making sure my beard was the right length so that I fit the profile,” he admitted.

Greg (center) is welcomed to the bearded brotherhood by former look-alike winners -- including 2011's Matt Gineo, shown here bestowing the traditional smooch.

Obviously, he got it right. But like many other Papas, Greg shares more than just a physical resemblance with the literary legend who lived in Key West throughout the 1930s.

“I’m an avid hunter, and I live on a lake so I literally fish every day,” he explained after his victory. “Unfortunately I’m not a very good writer, but I can drink — so three out of four is pretty good.”

The look-alike contest is an undisputed highlight of Key West’s annual salute to its most famous literary resident. For Greg, however, as for most repeat competitors, the camaraderie is as important as the contest itself.

Aspiring Papas return year after year with wives or girlfriends (known, of course, as the Mamas), and often many other friends and family members, to be part of the bearded brotherhood whose closeness runs deep.

Surrounded by other Mamas, Paula Deen applauds the aspiring Papa she's married to.

“Coming down here is the highlight of my year,” Greg said as he stood surrounded by his look-alike compadres. “I know these guys, I love these guys, and I’ve been friends with them for a long time.”

Despite being a “newbie” contest attendee, Paula Deen clearly felt the indefinable magic. Sitting at Sloppy Joe’s among the other Mamas, chatting happily with them and watching her husband compete, she wore the satisfied smile of a woman who was exactly where she wanted to be.

“This has been such a treat. I’ve eaten too much, I’ve slept too much, I’ve laughed too much — it’s been great and I’ve made some wonderful new friends,” she confided. “Yeah, I’m married to a Papa.”