For Immediate Release
Contact: Bryce Malone, Executive Director, Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission,
(225) 922-1277, bmalone@ldaf.state.la.us
Romney Richard, Publisher, Louisiana Cookin’ magazine, (504) 482-3914
Date: April 6, 2005
COOKING FOR SWEET REWARDS
Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission Calls for Entries in Recipe Contest
Baton Rouge, LA – The Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission and Louisiana Cookin’ magazine invite all amateur cooks to enjoy “sweet fame and fortune” by participating in the Sweet Rewards Recipe Contest For Canned Sweet Potatoes.
Interested cooks can enter their original sweet potato recipes in one of four categories: soups, sides, desserts and breads and breakfast.
Prize winners will be determined based on overall flavor, visual appeal and creativity. The winner in three categories will receive $500 in prize money and one grand prize winner will receive $1,000. Louisiana Cookin’ magazine will also feature the winners’ names and recipes in its October issue. Recipes will also be posted on the NewOrleans.Com Web site.
“We are really looking forward to seeing the creative and unique recipes from cooking enthusiasts around the nation,” said Bryce Malone, executive director of the Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission. “We’re anxious to see what new uses for canned sweet potatoes people will find.”
The contest began March 1st and will continue through June 1st. People interested in submitting an original recipe can log on to Louisiana Cookin’ magazine’s Web site at www.louisianacookin.com. Entries can be submitted through the Web site or by printing the entry form and mailing it to Louisiana Cookin’.
Entrants may submit multiple entries, but with separate entry forms.
The entries will be narrowed down to the top ten in each category and prepared for the judges by students in the Culinary Arts program at Delgado Community College in New Orleans the week of June 20, 2005.
Judges for the competition in each category will be Holly Clegg, Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission spokesperson and well-known cookbook author, Marcy McCall, editor of Louisiana Cookin’, Tommy Simmons, food editor for the Baton Rouge Advocate and Tom Fitzmorris, New Orleans’ leading restaurant critic and daily columnist on the popular Web site NewOrleans.Com. Instructors from Delgado will also help judge the competition. The grand prize winner will be selected by Mary Bartholomew, director of culinary arts and hospitality management at Delgado.
Entries received by mail must be postmarked by June 1 and received by June 10. Entries submitted online must be received by midnight, Central Standard Time, June 1.
Louisiana Cookin’ is the only magazine devoted solely to Louisiana’s love of good food. Each issue is packed with information on delicious foods, mouth-watering authentic recipes, unique cooking styles, famous restaurants, tasty travels, fantastic cookbooks and more.
The Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission’s mission is to promote the consumption of sweet potatoes, in particular Louisiana sweet potatoes, by educating consumers on the yam’s many nutritional attributes and its amazing versatility in popular, delicious recipes. Sweet Potatoes are the No. 1 most nutritional vegetable, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
The contest is also sponsored by NewOrleans.Com, the Big Easy’s most comprehensive Web site for information about festivals, live music, local businesses, history, restaurants, transportation and much more. “Talk Food With Tom Fitzmorris” is one of the site’s popular message boards where visitors can discuss and submit questions about cooking, restaurants and food trends.
For detailed contest rules, tips on cooking with sweet potatoes and more information about Louisiana sweet potatoes, please log on to www.sweetpotato.org.
Chef2Chef News Desk