Daily Herald Cook of the Week Challenge: Tickets to final cook-off on sale now

Our eight Cook of the Week Challenge semifinalists know where they hope to be come Thursday, Nov. 1. Will they see you there?

The cooking contest that started back in September wraps up in grand fashion on Nov. 1 with four finalists facing each other in a cook-off in front of an audience of 300 or so people at the Hyatt Regency Woodfield Schaumburg. The contestants will have one hour to prep and cook the ingredients in the mystery box and present their plated dishes to a panel of judges.

The winner, crowned Cook of the Year 2012, will receive a prize package valued at $3,000 that includes a Bosch dishwasher. Runners up will not be left out: other prizes to be given away include a gift basket from The Pampered Chef and a meet-and-greet with Buddy Valastro of TV's “Cake Boss” when he appears at the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan in December.

The event runs 6 to 9 p.m. and includes cooking demonstrations by chefs including Spencer Wolff of the Hyatt and culinary Olympian John Reed, as well as an appetizer buffet and wine and food tastings from our sponsors. There also will be goodie bags and numerous raffle prizes with ticket sales benefiting the Northern Illinois Food Bank.

Tickets to the Cook of the Week Challenge Finale cost $25 and are available at http://tinyurl.com/cookfinale. A limited number of free tickets will be available to Subscriber Total Access members. Watch your email for the announcement.