N.C. Pecan Harvest Festival seeks entries for cooking contest | Community Spirit

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WECT) - Cooks who are nuts about using pecans in their recipes are encouraged to enter the N.C. Pecan Harvest Festival Cooking Contest for a chance to win cash prizes and bragging rights. Interested cooks should act quickly, as the number of entries is limited and the deadline to submit recipes is Oct. 26.

Adults, age 16 or older, may enter one recipe in each category: appetizer, main dish, side/salad, and dessert. Youth, ages 10 to 15 years old, may enter one dessert recipe.

Each entry must contain at least one cup of pecans. The contest will be limited to the first 25 entries in each category. Recipes do not have to be original. They will become the property of the N.C. Pecan Harvest Festival and the Pecan Growers Association.

Recipes can be submitted online at www.ncpecanfestival.com or mailed to the Pecan Festival offices, P.O. Box 1321, Whiteville, N.C. 28472.

Mailed submissions must be typed or printed on an 8-1/2 x 11 inch sheet of paper. In the upper right corner, contestants should include their name, address, telephone number, and recipe category. Youth division contestants should include their age and the school they attend.

Contestants will prepare their entries and deliver them to the Cinema Club at 614 S. Madison Street on Saturday, Nov. 3, from 8 until 9:30 a.m. Any type of container may be used. Contestants will have a 2x2 foot space to display and decorate each entry. Parents will not be allowed to help youth contestants set up entries in the display area. Refrigeration facilities and ovens for heating will not be available.

Judging, closed to contestants and the public, will begin at 10 a.m.

Entries will be judged on: flavor, 40 percent; appearance, 20 percent; creative use of pecans, 20 percent; texture, 10 percent; and ease of recipe, 10 percent. Bonus points will be awarded for healthy recipes. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three entries in each category. A Grand Prize Overall Winner (one adult and one youth) will be selected from the first-place winners and awarded an additional prize. Awards will also be given for Best Presentation and Most Creative Use of Pecans.          

Winners will be awarded prize money at approximately 1 p.m. The public is invited to view the entries from 1-2 p.m.

The contest is sponsored by Columbus Regional Healthcare System and Hills Foods.

Complete guidelines are available at www.ncpecanfestival.com