re: search for cooking contests in your area

Hi Stacy,
I'm not from Texas so I can't help you in regard to contests in your area.

It seems for local, regional, state, etc. type contests finding the info is different in each area.

Do you have county, regional, state fairs? If so do you enter these?

Do you know of other events in your area that often have cooking/recipe contests? Sometimes local newspapers have a yearly contest; sometime certain stores or local events?

Does your local (or nearest regional) newspaper often list these events? Perhaps if you contacted the lifestyle/taste/food editor person at the paper, she/he could help you or steer you toward some contests.

In some areas/states where I have lived - I have been able to get info from our State Dept of Agriculture. In others the County I lived in had a Home Agent and she gave me some info. In another state the same agency was of no help whatsoever.

Have you tried national contests? There is a site - www.contestcooking.com where you can get some information. Some of it is free and if you have not been to the site - you might want to check it out. There are a number of smaller contests that you can find there without subscribing. And you can check out a bunch of other things like winning recipes, and hints and some pictures taken by subscribers while at national contests. You cannot (without subscribing) access the 'deadline' contests nor the message board which is called 'forum'. If you really get into contests this is well worth it.

Did you check out the Nestles site? I think their contest (this is the 3rd year - and it was in Better Homes and Gardens and several other magazines) is over the end of this month. I don't have the url but you should be able to find it. There is a lot you can bake with chocolate, etc. I also think that Dole and Kraft have a contest that is over shortly - I know they have info on their sites. There are probably some other baking ones I can't think of right now. It seems that a lot of the contests are for other types of recipes - tho sometimes baking can be incorporated into them.

Good luck in your search .. and when you do enter.