Calling all Rochester cooks!

Cool cooking competition coming up on Saturday at the Rochester Public Market! I signed up to compete, but they will hold a drawing to pick the 12 people that will actually cook. Frankly the whole thing terrifies me, because I'm a "recipe" kind of cook, but my husband and kids convinced me to do it.

"What's the worst thing that can happen?" they kept saying -- which is something I say to them all the time. Guess I have to put my money where my mouth is. But please -- sign up, and make it less likely I'll actually have to do this!

“COOK-IN” KICKS OFF CHEF’S DAYS AT THE ROCHESTER PUBLIC MARKET

For more information, please contact: Michael Warren Thomas at (585) 328-8300 or Michael@SavorLife.com

Calling all amateur Iron Chef wanna-be’s! The weekly Chef’s Days Saturday kick-off at the Rochester Public Market will be Saturday, May 10, 2008 from 8am-2pm with a cooking contest to determine who will be a member of the Wild Card Team at the New York Wine & Culinary Center on May 14-15, for Slice, Dice and Spice NY. The “Cook-In” winner will participate in the Pro-Am, and also win a package valued at over $750, including a 2 night stay at the historic 1810 Morgan Samuels Inn in Canandaigua. Participants in the “Cook-In” only need to be present for their assigned 30 minute period.

The first annual Slice, Dice & Spice NY Pro-Am Chef Challenge begins on May 12, with three days of competition, and ends with the Final Cook-Off on May 15, 2008. This event is a tourism initiative featuring the culinary and agricultural assets of the Finger Lakes region. Professional chefs from Ontario, Livingston and Wayne Counties will be teamed up with four local “wanna-be-chefs." Similar to the Iron Chef competition, teams will use common ingredients to produce innovative culinary dishes and highlight our region's natural assets. Canandaigua Wine Trail, also a partner in the program, will provide all the wines for the competition.

Local amateur cooking enthusiasts are invited to register by 12 noon on Friday, May 9th for a drawing to choose twelve people to do a 30-minute “Cook-In” demonstration at the Rochester Public Market as part of the Slice, Dice and Spice NY Pro-Am contest. Participants will be given a market basket of ingredients and access to spices, with 15 minutes to plan and 30 minutes to prepare their entry. The Rochester Public Market will provide a propane grill which also has a burner for pans during preparation. Time slots will be assigned between 8am and 2pm for May 10.

Local farmers will judge and pick one contest winner who will become part of the Wild Card Team at the New York Wine & Culinary Center on for the last preliminary round on Wednesday, May 14th. If the team wins that preliminary round, they will compete in the Finals at the Center on Thursday, May 15th with the grand prize winning team announced that evening.

Registration for the “Cook-In” at the Rochester Public Market can be made by contacting Michael Warren Thomas at (585) 328-8300 or Michael@SavorLife.com. The deadline for registration is 12 noon on May 9th. More information on the Slice, Dice and Spice NY event is available at www.SliceDiceAndSpiceNY.com, including the tickets for the Finals that are open to the public on May 15, $50 in advance, $55 at the door.

Chef’s Day Saturdays at the Market will continue each week throughout the summer and fall depending on the weather, with professional and amateur chefs providing demonstrations, recipes and advice, but no samples due to Health Department regulations.

Contact: Michael Warren Thomas at (585) 328-8300 or Michael@SavorLife.com