Second Annual BC Family Cooking Contest On Now

 
Attention BC wannabe chefs of all ages! Star in your own family cooking show for a chance to win amazing prizes.

VANCOUVER – The BC Ministry of Health in partnership with Better Together, announced last week that the second annual Hands-On Cook-Off Contest, is back for Summer 2011! This BC-wide contest, which runs from July 15 to August 31, invites everyone in BC to grab a friend or relative and create a home video cooking show in celebration of making and eating meals together.

“The Hands-on Cook-off contest is essentially a fun, simple contest designed to showcase just how enjoyable and valuable it is for families to cook together,” explains Sydney Massey, one of the creators of Better Together and Director of Nutrition Education at the BC Dairy Foundation. “This really is the perfect summer activity for BC families!”

Family meals have become a topic of increasing relevance to the average family in BC. Studies show there are significant social, academic and physical benefits for both kids and adults who cook and eat together as a family.

Says Celebrity Judge and Co-Host of Urban Rush, Michael Eckford, “In the media, we’ve seen a growing number of celebrity activists like Jamie Oliver and Laurie David come forward, advocating for families to cook and eat together. Here in BC with this contest, we’re doing the same thing: putting forth an important message in a way that celebrates this incredibly valuable part of our lives, the family meal.”

Contest Submissions
The rules are simple! Contest submissions can be made by any BC resident anytime from July 15 to August 31, 2011. Videos must include two generations cooking together and be no longer than three minutes.  There are no tech skills required- videos can even be made using phone video cameras. Full contest details, including where to upload videos, can be found on the contest site: www.bettertogetherbc.ca/contest

Judges
Contest submissions will be judged by a panel of experts that includes:

Michael Eckford , Co-host of Urban Rush

David Robertson, Chef/Instructor, Co-owner at The Dirty Apron Cooking School

Kia Robertson, Creator of Today I Ate a Rainbow

Prizes
Prizes for first and second place are $2000 and $1000 gift certificates to any of the Overwaitea Food Group stores (or winners can opt for cash amounts of $1500 and $750, respectively). A People’s Choice Winner will also be selected based on number of votes from the public and will receive a $500 gift certificate to any of the Overwaitea Food Group stores or $350 cash. *Stores include Save-On-Foods, Overwaitea Foods, Urban Fare, Cooper’s Foods, PriceSmart Foods, and more.

For more information, or to enter the contest, click here: http://www.bettertogetherbc.ca/contest

About Better Together

Better Together, is an active online community forum, designed to celebrate family meals, cooking, and trying new recipes. Our vision is to reconnect food and fun in the kitchen!

We exist because eating together, whether as a family or other group, offers many health and social benefits for both children and adults – including better nutrition, school performance and social adjustment.

Better Together is a partnership between BC Ministry of Healthy Living & Sport and BC Dairy Foundation.