Minced Cooking Competition Still Accepting Nominations

LITTLE FALLS -- An upcoming central Minnesota cooking contest is still looking for local chefs interested in competing.

The third annual Minced competition will be put on by Sprout in May, putting three local chefs to the test in a three-round elimination competition that Event Coordinator Natalie Keane says is much like the television show Chopped.

The chefs each have their own cooking station, so each chef has an induction burner and cutting boards. They can bring their favorite chef knives, they can even bring cooking equipment that they can't live without and a couple of special ingredients that they can't live without and then we stock a pantry full of a wide variety of ingredients.

The different rounds include appetizer, entrée, and dessert. While no information about the judges has been released, this year the event will be hosted by last year’s winner: Chef Mateo Mackbee, owner of Krewe in St. Joseph.

A Minced trophy, cash prizes, and bragging rights are on the line for the competitors and Keane says interested chefs have through Monday to apply.

The form really is just a way for people to tell us a little bit about themselves, how many years of experience they have, what's their culinary style, where do they like to push the limits in the kitchen, and it just kind of gives us a picture of what kind of chef they are.

She says they are looking for three cooks with a variety of cooking experience, backgrounds, and styles to keep the competition interesting.

The event will be held at Sprout in Little Falls on May 8th from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Tickets to the show are discounted at $10 per person and $25 for families until April 15th and $15 and $30 at full price. Children age 12 and under are free.