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Chicken Reigns Supreme in Regional Finals of National Chicken Cooking Contest

Posted on: Thursday, 8 January 2009, 10:00 CST

LIVINGSTON, Calif., Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Move over, Iron Chef, and make way for ... chicken! Foster Farms will host regional cook-offs for the National Chicken Cooking Contest on Tuesday, January 13, at its professional kitchens. The contest, sponsored by the National Chicken Council, is one of the longest running and most lucrative cooking contests in the nation. Winners from this round will advance to the national cook-off in San Antonio to compete for a $50,000 grand prize. Foster Farms is hosting the West Coast Pacific and Mountain regional cook-offs for the first time in the contest's 60 year history.

"We are proud to host a contest that celebrates chicken as a delicious, versatile and affordable staple in the American diet," said Ira Brill, Director of Marketing Services at Foster Farms. "According to a survey we conducted recently, 63 percent of consumers prefer to use chicken as a protein source when preparing a meal for nutrition and budget considerations. The National Chicken Cooking Contest allows the nation's best home cooks to share their inspiration in the kitchen at a time when many of us are spending more nights eating in and preparing meals from scratch."

Foster Farms' top chef, Mark Tadros, will prepare the competing dishes for noteworthy culinary experts and NCC contest judges Narsai David (restaurateur and food personality), Jenn Garbee (Los Angeles Times food writer) and Teresa Farney (Colorado Springs Gazette food editor), who will taste and rate each recipe. One winner from each region will win $1,000 and head to the national cook-off, where nine regional winners from across the U.S. will compete for the grand prize on May 2. The Pacific region comprises Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington; the Mountain region comprises Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Montana, Utah, Nevada and Wyoming.

About The National Chicken Council

The National Chicken Cooking Contest is one of the top competitive cooking events in the country. It is sponsored by the National Chicken Council, the chicken industry's trade association. The Council represents integrated chicken producer-processors, the companies that produce, process and market chickens. Member companies of NCC account for approximately 95 percent of the chicken sold in the United States.

About Foster Farms

Founded by Max and Verda Foster in 1939, Foster Farms continues today as a family-owned and operated company. Foster Farms ready-to-cook, fresh chicken is all natural with no preservatives or sodium-based additives. For more than 70 years, families in the Western United States have trusted Foster Farms for the highest-quality, locally raised, fresh chicken. Foster Farms conducted a consumer survey released in December 2008 that took a look at attitudes toward the economy and changing spending habits at the grocery store. For survey data, visit: http://www.fosterfarms.com/twc/survey.html

According to the Foster Farms survey, here's how consumers are spending and eating in the New Year:

SOURCE Foster Farms

Source: PR Newswire

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