Local Chef Contests and Challenges in Michigan

If you are an avid cook like me, you are likely a fan of Food Network challenges and competition shows like Iron Chef, Chopped and Cupcake Wars. As much as I'd like to have the opportunity to witness one of these competitions in person, I am not confident that I will get to do this anytime soon. Nevertheless, my community and many other Michigan cities are planning similar competitions. Most often these are fundraisers in which local chefs volunteer their time and talents to compete for bragging rights. Following are a few soon upcoming contests. Attending one may allow you to learn new cooking techniques or ideas, along with the chance to sample lots of really tasty food.

Chef's Challenge at Boyne Mountain

Spend the entire weekend observing the skills of many great chefs and sampling good food. Held from April 29-30 at Boyne Mountain in Northern Michigan, Chef's Challenge will bring together chef teams from a variety of venues and environments. The event will follow the format of the show, Iron Chef, with a chosen "secret ingredient" and a panel of judges. There will also be a contest for high school culinary arts students, cooking seminars and musical entertainment. Proceeds from the Chef's Challenge will benefit Challenge Mountain (an outdoor recreation program for the mentally and physically challenged).

Gleaners Iron Chef Competition

Gleaners Community Food Bank hosts an Iron Chef competition each year to raise funds for their organization. This year the competition will be held in Brighton (about 40 minutes northwest of Detroit) at the Bordine Nursery on Thursday, Aug. 18. In keeping with the iron chef theme, there will be a secret ingredient that each chef will have to use to create both an entree and appetizer. A panel of judges will vote and award the title of Iron Chef 2011.

References/Resource Links:

Vin Vendue - www.volunteermuskegon.org
Chef's Challenge - http://www.chefs-challenge.com/index.html
Gleaners Iron Chef Competition - http://www.gcfb.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pg_ironchef