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Cooking Contests At-A-Glance
Cooking contests take place every day during the Fair in the Competition Kitchen. There are two types of competitions to participate in: Cooking Contests and Cook-offs.
Cooking Contests
The State Fair of Texas is known for its culinary creations, and there’s no better place to see Texans serving up creative concoctions than the State Fair of Texas Cooking Contests. Held during the Fair each year, amateur cooks compete in contests to bring home the coveted blue (or purple) ribbon and bragging rights.
Cooking contests take place on specific days of the Fair in the Competition Kitchen. Though you may register on the day of each contest in the Creative Arts building, it is requested you register online beforehand at Creative.BigTex.com. Cooking contests are “day-of entry,” which means you bring your prepared dish ready to go for judging. Categories for Cooking Contests range anywhere from a traditional Pie Contest to State Fair favorites like the Tex-Mex Contest.
Cook-offs
The other type of cooking competition available in the Competition Kitchen are listed as ‘Cook-Offs’ and require pre-selected cooking spots (deadline to enter is July 8.) If selected for a Cook-off spot, contestants will cook their dish on site, from start to finish, at the Creative Arts building and then all entries are judged.
