CASA cooking event is rebranded
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Chef competition is now open to men and women chefs
By TRAVIS MORSE
Sentinel File Photo
COOKING FOR CASA — Ryan Swan prepares Swany’s Street Tacos during the 2019 Men Cooking for CASA fundraiser. The event has been rebranded “Cooking for CASA” and will now invite both men and women chefs to compete. The next Cooking for CASA will be on Jan. 18, 2025.
MOUNT VERNON — CASA of Jefferson County’s major fundraiser of the year is being rebranded.
Men Cooking for CASA will now just be known as Cooking for CASA, and will invite both women and men chefs to enter the competition. The categories for competing chefs will now include men, women and teams. Chefs can still enter individually or in teams of two made up of men, women or co-ed. Chefs must be at least 18 years of age.
“For years, we have had women request an event (where) they can show off their cooking skills,” said CASA Executive Director Whitney Hodge Friday. “After years of tossing around ideas of other events, we decided that the best idea was just to include women into ‘Cooking for CASA’ rather than trying to start over from scratch with an additional event. We hope that this change will stir up even more excitement about our biggest event of the year.”
As part of Cooking for CASA, people who buy a ticket and attend get the chance to taste numerous home-cooked dishes prepared by local business people, civic leaders and amateur chefs.
During the event, participating chefs each prepare their favorite dish. The dishes are then separated based on different categories and taste-tested by guests in attendance. Typically, there is also a live auction and a silent auction at the event.
Golden skillet awards are then given out to chefs in the categories of appetizers, soups and chilis, entrees and desserts. A panel of judges decides the best in those categories. In addition, a golden skillet is also given to the chef who raises the highest amount of tips, Sentinel archives state.
Cooking for CASA is the major fundraiser of the year for Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA, of Jefferson County. CASA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to giving children a voice in the court system. The organization recruits and trains volunteers who are then appointed by judges. These volunteer advocates then serve as independent fact finders and speak up for the best interest of abused and neglected children in the community and the court system, the archives state.
The next Cooking for CASA is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. For more information, email Whitney@jeffcocasa.org or call (618) 204-5453.
