8th Annual Dutch Oven CookOff March 27 in Glenwood, NM

Contact: Gale Moore
Silver City, NM
gale@cybermesa.com



Event: Southwest New Mexico 8th Annual Dutch Oven Cook-Off
Date: Saturday, March 27, 2010
Place: Glenwood, New Mexico Community Park
Time: 9:00 am until mid-afternoon


Calling All Dutch Oven Cooks (and those who’d like to try their hand at “black pot” cookin’) ~

Come to cook --- see how Dutch Oven cooking is done --- come to eat --- listen to music --- or just visit with the happy crowd at the Southwest New Mexico 8th Annual Dutch Oven Cook-Off on Saturday, March 27 in Glenwood, New Mexico!

Each year, this event just gets better, and 2010 promises to be the most fun yet!

The Cook-Off will be held again at the Glenwood Community Park on CatWalk Road in Glenwood, New Mexico (just an hour north of Silver City).

Both experienced and amateur Dutch Oven cooks are invited to participate this year! In previous years, we had cooks from Glenwood, Cliff, Gila, Reserve, Albuquerque, Cuba, Las Cruces, Silver City (New Mexico) and communities in Arizona.

Categories this year will be “Fancy Fixer,” “Camp Cookie,” and “Tenderfoot,” with submitted recipes and level of experience considered.

Everyone is welcome to enter, no matter where you call home! (If you need overnight lodging, there are several unique motels in Glenwood.)

Those interested in entering as a Dutch Oven Cook this year, please contact: Event Organizers:

Leah Jones (Glenwood) (575) 539-2800 Email ~ gilaleahjones@gmail.com

Mickey Lemon (Silver City) (575) 388-2840 Email ~ mlemon@signalpeak.net

Linda Locklar (Silver City) (575) 388-1503 Email ~ lindamanyponies@hotmail.com

These ladies can give you all the details, but here are the basics:

Cooking categories are single pot or three pots (Main Dish, Bread, Dessert). Cooks can enter on their own, or as a team. Entry fee ~ $ 15 for Single Pot, $ 30 for Three Pots.

Cooks can set up their camp and start their fires at 7:30 am. Some entrants bring cowboy-camp setups, teepees and tents, and one entry even drives a mule-drawn chuckwagon to camp! (The Glenwood Park features shady trees and open spaces for camp set-ups)

Dutch Oven food will be available in the Park before the Tasting. Craft vendors are welcome ($25 per space).

There will be a Cooks’ Meeting at 8:30 AM. Cooking time is from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm., during which time spectators always enjoy going from camp to camp, seeing “what’s cookin’” and getting to know the cooks.

After the Judges have tasted all the dishes and are tabulating their results, here comes the best part of the day ---- about 2:00 pm, Dutch Oven cooks bring their pots to the Pavilion, multitudes of folks show up to purchase Taster Plates ($5.00 for adults, $3.00 for children under 12), and the “Tasters’ Delight” eatin’ begins! Each Dutch Oven cook will put a spoonful of their dish on each plate, and there are usually about 30-40 different dishes (sometimes more!) on the buffet line.

Tables and benches are provided for the diners, and after everyone is served, awards and prizes are presented to the winning cooks. (Proceeds from this event each year benefit the Glenwood Community Park.)

Glenwood’s Dutch Oven Cook-Off was first started in 2003 by Wendy Peralta, owner of the Glenwood Trading Post. Each year since, the event has grown --- in size, number of cooks, and fun! This event is reminiscent of the old days when members of small communities would gather for shared food and “visiting.” This is the eighth annual year for the Dutch Oven, and it promises to be another memorable occasion, one you won’t want to miss!

It's all for a great cause, the Glenwood Community Park, and of course, photos of all the fun will be published in the April Glenwood Gazette.