Whether you like to cook sweet or you like to cook savory, we have several contests prepared for you! Creative Arts offers daily opportunities for you to win a ribbon in the Competition Kitchen throughout its 24-day run. The mix of competitions can get a little confusing, so we’re here to make it easy for all.
Cooking Contests vs. Cook-offs
Next up, we have our traditional Cooking Contests. Listed below, you’ll find over 25 different cooking contests that anyone can enter by either pre-registering online or entering the day of in the Competition Kitchen. Contestants are required to bring their dish prepared and ready to go, along with a typed recipe for each entry. These categories range anywhere from a traditional Pie Contest to new contests like “Fair Concoctions” or “Cowboy Cooking.”
Also, in the calendar below you’ll find six other competitions offered listed as, Cook-offs. These contests require pre-registration and a lottery drawn cooking spots. The deadline to enter is June 17 and cooks will be drawn on June 28. Since there are a limited number of spots, contestants will cook their dish onsite from start to finish which all takes place in the Competition Kitchen.
Additional Contests
On Opening Day in the Competition Kitchen, we have two contests that surprisingly don’t require any cooking at all. To kick-off Fair fun and the creative spirit, we like to start with the Glue-a-Shoe and this year we’re adding the Pumpkin Decorating contests. These two contests are completely different than any traditional cooking showdown.
Glue-a-Shoe ultimately is exactly what it sounds like, but don’t doubt the overload of creativity in this contest. Participants are required to come up with any design and simply must include a… you guessed it, a shoe! The number of humorous, imaginative, or meaningful designs are endless – just make sure to include a title.
Since the Pumpkin Decorating is brand new to the Competition Kitchen this year, you could be the first person to ever win a ribbon in this contest! Pumpkins are decorated or carved before hand and also must include a title.
Here are a few more reminders
All cooking contests during the Fair are open to amateurs only. While we do love professional chefs and culinary experts, we save their expertise for the Celebrity Chef Kitchen. Whether your dish is a diehard family must have on the table or you’re whipping up a new blend of ingredients, we encourage all to enter! To get a better view of everything you need to know, download our Creative Arts handbook. Make 2019 the year you win a State Fair Creative Arts ribbon , it’ll be worth every bite!
For more information on Creative Arts Contests or blogs on how to enter,
visit our Creative Arts 101 page or sign-up for our Creative Texans Newsletter.