FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, May 15, 2008

For more information contact:
Bill Clary

(502) 564-4696

COOK OFF WILL DETERMINE KENTUCKY’S SEAFOOD CHAMP

FRANKFORT, Ky. —Kentucky chefs will test their skills at preparing Kentucky Proud seafood at the third annual Great Kentucky Seafood Cook Off June 9 at Jefferson Community and Technical College in Louisville.

The winner will represent Kentucky at the Great American Seafood Cook Off in New Orleans this summer.

“Kentucky is known for its great food, including delicious seafood dishes,” Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer said. “The Great Kentucky Seafood Cook Off has become a much-anticipated event for showcasing the best of Kentucky’s seafood cuisine. It also produces dishes that most people can cook for their families.”

Competitors will prepare seafood dishes within one hour. Entries should be consumer-friendly and easy for the at-home chef to prepare. Dishes will be judged on taste, execution of skills and presentation, and ease of preparation utilizing Kentucky-grown aquaculture products. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture and the Kentucky Aquaculture Association will supply the chef’s chosen featured Kentucky Proud seafood to each competitor.

To enter, competitors must fax completed entry documents to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture at (502) 564-0303 by May 23. A $100 entry fee must be written to the Kentucky Aquaculture Association and submitted by May 30. Competitors must submit three recipes and digital photos of the dish, the chef and the chef’s restaurant. The photos will be featured in the 2008 Kentucky Aquaculture Cook Booklet. They must be e-mailed to Angela Caporelli, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s aquaculture marketing specialist, at angela.caporelli@ky.gov.

Recipes for the cook off will be published for distribution at the Kentucky State Fair and posted on the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Web site, www.kyagr.com.

For complete instructions, go to www.kyagr.com/seafood.htm.

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