COLUMBUS — The deadline is less than two weeks away for Ohio home cooks to submit their best culinary recipes for the 2016 Ohio State Fair. At this year’s fair, which runs from July 27 to August 7, the Ohio Poultry Association (OPA) will once again offer Ohio cooks opportunities to compete in three different culinary contests on Saturday, July 30, including a new grilling competition.
“The Ohio State Fair is a great opportunity for aspiring chefs to feature Ohio-produced eggs, chicken and turkey and highlight their versatility in everyday meals,” said Jim Chakeres, OPA executive vice president. “Each year, we receive entries from participants all across the state, and we are looking forward to seeing what creative and delicious culinary masterpieces Ohioans come up with this year.”
Grilling competition
New to the fair this year, OPA is sponsoring a new culinary competition, “Turkey Grilling Cook-Off.” The competition will take place from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 30. Contestants will be provided with a selection of turkey products for the main ingredient needed to be prepared, along with the competitor’s choice of side or garnish and sauce. Competitors will have 30 minutes to prepare and grill their recipe. Participants may only enter one recipe per class and must be present for judging. A first, second and third place winner will be deemed and they will be judged on overall taste, presentation, heritage story and uniqueness.
Egg-citing and Devilishly Good competition
“The Egg-citing and Devilishly Good” competition will kick-off at 10 a.m. on July 30 in the Cardinal Hall with a “heat” for local celebrities, followed by a heat for amateur chefs. During the challenge, contestants will be provided with eight hard-boiled eggs and then have 30 minutes to develop their recipe, prepare on-site and serve 12 deviled egg halves for the judges. Contestants are required to bring all other ingredients and garnishes to be used for the filling. New at the 2016 fair will be a new entrant award for amateur contestants who have not entered this competition in the past. The Kroger Company is also a sponsor of this competition.
Egg-stra, Egg-stra competition
Another culinary competition sponsored by OPA at this year’s fair, along with cosponsors American Dairy Association Mideast and The Kroger Company, is “Egg-stra, Egg-stra!” The contest will begin at noon on Saturday, July 30, with seven different classes. Only amateur chefs may compete and they may enter two dishes per class, but they must be distinctly different. There are two new classes this year in this competition: “Crock-pot Creations,” of chicken or turkey and noodles as well as poultry Crock-pot recipe (no noodles). Other returning classes include frittata/quiche, brownie, cupcake, cheesecake and Bundt cake.
All dishes from “The Egg-citing and Devilishly Good” and “Egg-stra, Egg-stra!” competitions will be judged based on taste, creativity and presentation. Winning entries will be displayed the day of the competition and then replaced with a photo of the entry.
To enter into any of the competitions, visit www.OhioStateFair.com/Culinary. To be eligible, all entries must be submitted by Monday, June 20. Eligible home cooks must be at least 11-years-old and a current resident of Ohio. Participants are not required to have won at a county fair in order to enter any Ohio State Fair culinary competition.
Ohio is ranked No. 2 nationally for egg farming, producing more than 8.7 billion eggs annually. For more information about egg farming, recipes and the health benefits eggs offer, visit www.OhioEggs.com.
