Round 2 cooks off and running in tough new challenges
Marie Bass of Mount Prospect. Kim Bradley of Glen Ellyn. Joan Hamer of Glen Ellyn. Bill Hicks of Carpentersville. Chelsea La Valle of Deer Park. Susie Mingee of Port Barrington. Jack Mac Intosh of Itasca. And Tim Schmitt of Inverness.
These are the eight cooks who have been chosen to advance to Round 2 of the Cook of the Week Challenge.
Actually, Round 2 is underway and we have recipes from four of our semifinalists already. If these first recipes are an indication, the competition is fierce and the cooks are bringing their creative skills to the fore.
Marie Bass and Joan Hamer in Challenge 9 have already supplied the judges with their creations. See what they came up with using dark chocolate from Whole Foods Market, shrimp from Don's Dock, kale and grits.
In Challenge 10, Susie Mingee and Chelsea La Valle faced mackerel from King Oscar, chickpeas, arugula and lemon. See what these four cooks have to say about their Round 2 experiences, plus photos and recipes, on Pages 6 and 7.
In this Sweet 16-style cooking contest, almost all of the dishes can be made for weeknight dinners. OK, some have extra steps - try them on a weekend. If these home cooks can do it, so can you.
Next week see what the cooks in the final two challenges of Round 2 create using honey mustard from Village Tavern in Carol Stream, Tony's Italian Sausage provided by Tony's Finer Foods/Porte Brown, broccoli rabe, currants and pear juice provided by Whole Foods Market and red chili peppers.
Our eight remaining cooks aren't the only ones vying for prizes. Check out Cook of the Week 2015 coverage at dailyherald.com to vote for your favorite recipes. Each week we randomly draw the name of a voter to win such prizes as dining cards, products from our sponsors, cookbooks and grocery gift certificates.
On Oct. 28, we'll reveal the names of the four finalists. These four will compete in a live cook-off Nov. 2 at the Westin, Itasca. The victor will receive a prize package worth more than $1,500. They will own bragging rights, a giant spoon trophy and the title of 2015 Daily Herald Cook of the Year.
And as Cook of the Week Challenge final event nears, we'll share more highlights of the event - including which celebrity chefs will be doing demonstrations, some of the raffle prizes and more. If you haven't yet bought tickets, they are $20 and available at events.dailyherald.com. Tickets include a generous appetizer buffet, two drink tickets, samples from many of the event's sponsors and a goody bag. The Westin Chicago Northwest is located at 400 Park Blvd., Itasca.
For full contest coverage, visit dailyherald.com/cookchallenge or like us on Facebook/CookoftheWeek.