Meet our Cook of the Week Challenge judges

Let us introduce you to the celebrity chefs and instructors, food professionals and former Cook of the Year winner judging this week's Cook of the Week Challenge recipes.

John Engle

President and CEO, King Oscar, Inc.

John Engle is President and CEO of King Oscar, Inc., a manufacturer of brisling sardines and the No. 1 selling sardine in the United States, as well as a growing line of premium canned seafood including Norwegian brisling sardines, skinless and boneless sardines, kipper snacks, anchovies and North Atlantic mackerel fillets. He is a 30-year veteran of the Consumer Packaged Goods industry, where he has held a variety of leadership positions with industry heavyweights such as General Mills, Schering-Plough and Bumble Bee Foods.

John is best known for his passionate approach to product innovation and for his unwavering commitment to the development and execution of strategic business practices that result in long-term profitable sales growth. Engle has a BS in Business Management and an MBA from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. He lives in San Diego, California, with his wife of 28 years, Janet, and their two sardine-loving children.

Chef Jennifer Bucko Lamplough

Director of Nutrition Programs and Executive Chef for Northern Illinois Food Bank, Geneva

Bucko Lamplough is the co-author with Lara Rondinelli-Hamilton, RD, LDN, CDE, of three American Diabetes Association Cookbooks: the award-winning, best-selling, "Healthy Calendar Diabetic Cooking," 1st and 2nd Editions, and the "Healthy Carb Diabetes Cookbook." She also contributes recipes regularly to the American Diabetes Association's Recipes for Healthy Living website and e-newsletter (http://www.diabetes.org/mfa-recipes/recipes/). Chef Jen has a certificate in Professional Cooking from the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago; a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana; and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Morris Graduate School of Management in Chicago. Chef Jen has appeared as a guest chef on many television news programs including all of the major Chicago networks and has been a featured chef on several radio programs across the country, most notably the "Living Today" program on Martha Stewart Living Radio. She has done cooking demonstrations across the United States including the Taste of Chicago, the American Diabetes Association Expo, the American Association of Diabetes Educators and the International Association of Culinary Professionals Annual Conference.

Angelica Murillo

Manager for Tony's Fresh Market

Angelica Murillo, a manager at Tony's Fresh Market, has worked in food retail since she was 15. She is passionate about food, and her father has been a chef at their local lodge in Des Plaines for the past 40 years. Growing up, fast-food was not an option at the Murillo residence. Her father would challenge his kids to create recipes using certain ingredients. Her father still being the king of the kitchen, Angelica has embraced his skills with the family and has become enthusiastic about cooking. Angelica's talent in creating healthy dishes helps her family to live a healthier life through food.

John Hampson

2016 Daily Herald Cook of the Year

John Hampson, a bank vice president from Antioch, won the Cook of the Year title last November, wowing the judges with his Barley and Kale Stuffed Pork Loin with Bourbon Chocolate Sauce on Root Vegetable Mash. With that win, he is committed to entering cooking competitions, and they've gotten under his skin. Hampson doesn't subscribe to a specific cuisine, loving all styles and techniques. He will, however, use garlic often in all kinds of cookery.

His inspiration was watching television chefs such as Julia Child, Jeff Smith and Justin Wilson. "While others were outside playing, I would spend my Saturday afternoons inside watching cooking shows," he admitted. He has also read, cover to cover, "the bibles of the culinary world." His son suffers from Celiac disease, so he has learned to convert just about everything to accommodate a gluten-free diet, and he counts family members as his best critics.