Culinary Literacy Center Cooking Contest

Do you know someone that does something completely different for a living but could be a chef?

Everything they make is delicious, but there is that one dish that he or she makes so incredibly well, it makes your mouth water right now just thinking about it and you’d bet they could win a contest with it?

If so, are you ready to put your money where your mouth is? Well, okay there is no money involved, just bragging rights and the opportunity to have their very own one-off cooking program in our Culinary Literacy Center. Who knows, maybe a Food Network talent scout could see that program and the person that you nominated will get their own show and become rich and famous and be so very grateful to you that they buy you your own pony!

Do you know someone that does something completely different for a living but could be a chef?

Before you go buying a saddle, think about this person and his or her recipe. Is that person willing to share their ingredients list and teach others how to make it too or are they taking those secrets with them to the grave? Is this person funny and outgoing enough to be filmed while cooking? If you nominate a camera-shy relative who hates being the center of attention that has guarded this family recipe for decades, it might get you cut out of their will. Because there are just so many options out there we had to break this up into two contests; one for appetizers, side dishes and entrees; “The Delish Dish of Lorain County” and one for desert entries; “Baker’s Gotta Bake” (full disclosure, we cleverly have a library card design featuring the same saying).

We will post the title and photo of all qualifying entries for both contests on our website at LorainPublicLibrary.org. from Jan. 11 to 24 and the public will vote on which dish they would most like to learn how to create. The top two entries from each of the two contests will be contacted the week of Jan. 25. 

The creators of those four dishes will be invited to bring their dish to the Culinary Literacy Center to meet with our esteemed panel of judges the week of Feb 1. The contestants and their entries will be judged based on these four criteria: 

  • Originality/Creativity
  • Taste/Smell/Presentation
  • Ease of creation/number of ingredients
  • Charisma of the creator

The Grand-prize winner will be announced the week of Feb. 8, 2021. To enter, submit the entry form from Connections or complete the entry form below. Complete entries must be received by 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 31, 2020. Incomplete entries will be disqualified.

The rules:

Contestants must be non-professional. No professional chefs, bakers, food writers, food home economists, students enrolled in a degree program at a cooking school or any other person who regularly makes recipes for pay. The lunch folks in the school cafeteria are the only exception.

This contest is open to LPLS patrons within our service district that are 18 years or older. Younger patrons may enter with the consent of a parent or guardian.

Items taking longer than an hour of active prep time (not including the time the item is actually inside the oven) will not be considered unless a portion of the prep can be done in advance, leaving an active time in the kitchen at or below an hour.

Preparation cannot require kitchen equipment or utensils that are not already included in the LPLS Culinary Literacy Center or found in an average home kitchen.

Recipe ingredients must be readily available in local grocery stores.

Recipes must be original and never-before published.

By entering, contestants agree that if they are the winner, they will provide the full list of ingredients and step-by-step recipe to be promoted by LPLS via website or other means.

One grand-prize winner will be chosen and announced the week of Feb. 8, 2021. The winner will be invited to create their dish, while being filmed, in the LPLS Culinary Literacy Center at the Main Library in Lorain. Date and time of the filming will be determined by the winner and the LPLS staff. The program will air on a date and time chosen by the LPLS staff either via Facebook, LorainPublicLibrary.org or other method of streaming to the public; the content of which will become the property of Lorain Public Library System.

The runners up will each receive an LPLS branded spatula.

Rules are subject to change. The decision of the judges is final.

Entry Form

All information must be submitted in English and either typed or printed legibly. Entries that are not able to be read will be disqualified.

Complete entries must be received by 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 31, 2020. Incomplete entries will be disqualified.