THE COMPETITORS
› Aaron Sutton of Dalton, Georgia› Demeatrice Hicks from Chattanooga, with teammate Destiny Linebaugh› Micah Crawford from Church Hill, Tennessee, with teammate Noah Woodbury› Rachel Kleban from Chattanooga, with teammate Claire Austin› Spencer Wagner from Signal Mountain, with teammate Kyle Kilpatrick
Chattanooga Market will host its first teen cook-off on Sunday, June 24. The Team Tennessee Teen Cook-Off will highlight the culinary talents of high school students in the tri-state area. Showtime is 11:30 a.m. in First Tennessee Pavilion, 1826 Carter St.
"We want to go above and beyond what they're asking," says 16-year-old Spencer Wagner of Signal Mountain.
Spencer and his teammate, Kyle Kilpatrick, have practiced all week perfecting their culinary skills. Instead of making one main dish as expected, the boys plan to impress judges with a three-course meal.
The theme for the event is Dining Al Fresco. All students will be given a choice between Springer Mountain Farm's chicken breasts or boneless thighs to incorporate into their recipes.
"We decided to go with an appetizer, the actual meal and dessert," said Spencer. "We've been practicing to make sure I can do all of that within an hour."
Five teen cooks, four of them working with a teammate, will compete. Winning team members each get a $500 scholarship to Virginia College and two tickets to NoogaEats cooking class. Every contestant will receive a gift from Lodge Cast Iron and a $250 scholarship to Virginia College.
The cook-off will begin at 11:30 a.m. with student introductions before they shop for ingredients. The teams receive a stipend to purchase their ingredients from market vendors. They also get a small pantry of basic ingredients. They have one hour to cook before judging begins at 1 p.m.
Nashville lifestyle coach Dyan Damron will emcee the cookoff. Judges will score dishes based on taste, presentation, use of ingredients and overall favorite.
In addition to the cook-off, the market will be filled with 200 vendors of produce, meats, cheeses, flowers and art between the hours of 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Contact Yolanda Putman at yputman@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6431.