2011 WASHINGTON REGIONAL EVENT

On August 12, 2011 at Kathy Casey Food Studios in Seattle our five Washington semifinalists competed for a chance to have their recipe move to the final stage of the 2nd Annual Foster Farms Fresh Chicken Cooking Contest. Only two of the five recipes would be selected as regional winners and move forward to compete at the final event.

The five semifinalists and their recipes were:

Tina Hoban of Bellingham
Chicken with Cherry Tapenade over Creamy Pancetta Polenta
Kathryn Hyatt of Maple Valley
Pecan Chicken with Avocado and Blackberries
Mary Pyne of Kent
Chicken, Wine and Brussels Sprout Salad
Rebecca Spence of Vancouver
Crispy Orange Chicken with Fennel Avocado and Orange Salad
Marcie Tomasello
Chicken and Mushroom Risotto with Swiss Chard

During the Washington Regional Competition, judges Kathy Casey, celebrity chef and cookbook author; Cynthia Nims, contributor Seattle Magazine and Cooking Light; and Jamie Peha, Table Talk Radio, selected Tina Hoban's Chicken with Cherry Tapenade over Creamy Pancetta Polenta recipe and Rebecca Spence’s Crispy Orange Chicken with Fennel, Avocado and Orange Salad recipe as their top picks based on their recipes’ use of fresh, local ingredients, including Foster Farms locally-grown fresh chicken. Judges made decisions based on taste, use of fresh, local ingredients, appearance/appeal, simplicity/ease of making and originality. Local bloggers in attendance selected contestant Mark Pyne’s Chicken, Wine and Brussels Sprouts Salad recipe for the “Bloggers’ Choice Award” for best use of local ingredients.

The two regional winners each received $1,000 and a trip to California’s Napa Valley to compete in the final event for a chance to win $10,000 and a one-year supply of Foster Farms fresh chicken.