Sign up for the American Angus Auxiliary’s popular Cook-Off and Chef’s Challenge competitions by June 1.
For the second year the All-American Certified Angus Beef ® (CAB®) Cook-Off will be accompanied by the All-American Certified Angus Beef® Chef’s Challenge at the National Junior Angus Show (NJAS), July 12. The show takes place July 10-16 in Harrisburg, Pa.
The Challenge is modeled after Food Network’s cooking competition “Iron Chef” and will feature two age divisions: adults 21 and older, and National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) members, ages 18-21.
The contestants will have 90 minutes to prepare and serve an original recipe using a specific CAB meat cut and secret ingredients announced the day prior to competition.
The Challenge is set up to attract competitors more focused on the cooking process rather than the presentation, said Anne Patton Schubert, co-coordinator of the Chef’s Challenge and Cook-Off competitions conducted by the American Angus Auxiliary.
“The competitors are extremely creative because they do not know what they are cooking until 24 hours before the competition,” said Patton Schubert.
She said the Chef’s Challenge complements the long-held Cook-Off tradition combining creativity and quality Angus beef.
The Cook-Off began in 1983 to give youth additional experience with the product they raise — beef.
“It was [created] to help competitors become comfortable talking about the beef product,” Patton said. “When you see the juniors at the Cook-Off, they are having fun.”
The Cook-Off and Chef’s Challenge serves as a stepping-stone, said Anne Lampe, co-chairman of the Auxiliary’s Beef Education Committee.
“It is a training program for people to learn how to promote beef in their community or home states,” Lampe said.
Both competitions will take place simultaneously at the NJAS. Chef Challenge are restricted to one or two people, and will be limited to 10 entries. Multiple entries from the same state will be accepted in each age division; however, NJAA members may not participate in the Chef’s Challenge if they are members of a state Cook-Off team.
The first-place entry in each division of the Chef’s Challenge will receive a Certified Angus Beef® logo jacket and a $100 cash prize. Winners in the Chef’s Challenge will not compete for the All American Certified Angus® Beef Cook-Off Black Kettle Award.
Visit the NJAA website at www.angus.org/njaa for complete rules, information and entry forms.
Entry forms for both competitions are due to contest chairpersons by June 1. Mail or fax entries to Anne Patton-Schubert, 4040 Taylorsville Rd., Taylorsville, KY 40071; or 502-477-2637. Entries also may be e-mailed to Anne Lampe at [email protected].
The Chef’s Challenge and the Cook-Off are sponsored by the American Angus Auxiliary and Certified Angus Beef LLC.