Get your tickets for Cook of the Week Challenge finale
It's coming down to the wire.
A live cook-off Monday night will determine who wins the tight race for the Daily Herald's fifth annual Cook of the Week Challenge. And if you're a fan of cooking competition shows — or just good food — you won't want to miss the finale.
Tickets are still available for the live cook-off, which also includes food, demonstrations, vendor booths and raffles. It will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, at the Westin Chicago Northwest, 400 Park Blvd., in Itasca.
Tickets are $20 and include food samplings, two drink tickets and a goody bag. Five dollars of each ticket will be donated to the Northern Illinois Food Bank.
The Cook of the Week Challenge began with 16 cooks, and now it's down to four: Marie Bass of Mount Prospect, Kim Bradley of Glen Ellyn, Bill Hicks of Carpentersville and Chelsea La Valle of Deer Park. They'll each have one hour to use a basket of mystery ingredients, a full pantry, a cook station and a helper to make a winning dish.
Judges for the competition will be Brian Emmett, 2013 winner of CBS' “The American Baking Competition” and author of “Get Your Bake On;” Chef Mario Rizzotti, “Iron Chef America” judge and food personality; Mike Burton, general manager of the Westin; Jimmy Nicolau, director of Midwest sales at Grecian Delights Foods; Mario Portanova, director of Porte Brown LLC; and Jamie Andrade, the 2014 Cook of the Week Challenge Winner. They will evaluate the dishes on taste, presentation, use of secret ingredients and more.
The expo will include raffle prizes and main stage demonstrations by Rizzotti, Emmett, Chef Massimo Gaffo from Ala Carte Entertainment, and Mark Eckert, executive chef of the Westin.
Chef Paul Guerrero, culinary director of Cooking Skills Academy in Itasca, will serve as the emcee.
The event also will feature food and beverage samplings from Toasty Cheese, Grecian Delights, Village Tavern, Ala Carte Entertainment and more.
For tickets, visit events.dailyherald.com.