Do you enjoy “heated” competition? Are you brave in the kitchen? Do you have cooking skills? Can you create gourmet dishes in a pinch? If so, the Market Chef Competition is for you.
This market season, the Salisbury Farmers Market will host its first cooking competition. There will be three days of competition. At the end of the competition, the winner will be crowned The Best Market Chef.
The first round will be held July 19 with four competitors. The winner will continue on to the next round, competing against a new set of challengers. There will be twists and turns at every competition. Chefs will handle local mystery ingredients, time/money limitations, and new judges with each round. This competition will be similar to Food Network’s popular shows, “Cut Throat Kitchen,” “Iron Chef” and “Chopped.” Contestants need to bring their A-game if they wish to make the final round.
Seasonal ingredients from the Farmers Market will be the contestants’ muse. Each ingredient provided has to be used in the dishes that the chefs create. Failure to do this will cause them to be “sliced.”
Presentation is important. The contestants can have an assistant of their choosing. They must bring their own knives, spices, oil, unopened pantry items, pots, pans, etc. Pots and pans will have to be brought to the Cooperative Extension office on the Monday before the competition to be washed and sanitized.
To compete, contestants must fill out the application and deliver to the Cooperative Extension office at 2727-A Old Concord Rd., Salisbury.
There is a $10 fee for contestants. Because of limited space, fees will be collected after the contestants are selected (contestants are selected on a first come, first served basis). Applications are due no later than Friday, July 11.
The dates to compete are July 19, Aug. 9, and Sept. 6. The competition will be held at 10 a.m. at the Salisbury Farmers Market, 115 S. Jackson St.
So, if you feel that you have what it takes to be the first Salisbury Farmers Market “Market Chef,” bring it on. Applications for the competition can be found at the Rowan County Cooperative Extension website at http://rowan.ces.ncsu.edu/spotlight/2014-market-chef-competition/, Rowan County Extension office (2727 Old Concord Road), Salisbury Farmers’ Market, or the Farmers Market website: http://www.salisburyfarmersmarket.com

For more information on the competition, please contact Danelle Cutting or Toi Degree at 704-216-8970.