Cooks in challenges 1 & 2 put to the test
Fresh lavender: soothing, earthy smell, gorgeous purple color on a field of green, mmmm. But can you cook with it? Yes, you can. In fact, lavender from Flower Wagon is one of four secret ingredients the first Cook of the Week Challenge cooks were presented with in the debut round. They also had to work with pork chops, peaches and farro from NOW Foods.
Most of the cooks have said when they find out what ingredients they have to work with, ideas fly through their minds at the speed of light. The creative juices start to flow, so to speak.
Today we'll hear from cooks in challenges 1 and 2 about what they came up with and what inspired them.
Cook of the Week Challenge cooks James Litza of Wood Dale and Joan Hamer of Glen Ellyn were faced with the secret ingredients I already mentioned, and cooks Jill Robertson of Palatine and Marie Bass of Mount Prospect had to work their magic on fresh chicken, courtesy of Whole Foods, spaghetti squash from Amita, black olives and feta.
Tickets to the final cook off, on Nov. 2 at the Westin Itasca, will be available soon. Check in with events.dailyherald.com to reserve your spot. You won't want to miss it.
Meanwhile, why not take the challenge yourself and see what you come up with as our secret ingredients are revealed each week? Remember, family and friends can be your taste testers.
For now, let's see what the contestants have to say for themselves and read their recipes on Page 4.