News & Announcements
National Cornbread Festival Celebrates 10th Anniversary
Martha White's® 10th Annual Cornbread Cook-Off In Search Of Country's Best Main Dish Cornbread Recipes
SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn., (January 2006)- For the last ten years, thousands of Americans have traveled from all over the country to the tiny southern town of South Pittsburg, Tenn., to celebrate one thing: cornbread! This year marks the 10th Anniversary of the National Cornbread Festival which takes place April 29-30 and celebrates cornbread, Southern cooking and family.
This year also commemorates a decade of the coveted Cornbread Cook-Off, sponsored by Martha White® and Lodge Cast Iron®, where cooks from all over the country compete for the best main dish cornbread recipe. In honor of this milestone, Martha White is calling for all cornbread lovers to fire up their ovens and get their recipes ready for a chance to win the 10thAnnual National Cornbread Cook-Off Contest.
Lucky finalists will compete to win the first prize of $4,000 and a FiveStar® stainless steel gas range (a $2,500 value) by preparing their creations under the big Cook-Off Tent on April 29, 2006.
To enter, beginning January 5, 2006, just submit an original Main Dish recipe -- prepared with at least one cup of Martha White® Corn Meal or one package of Martha White® Cornbread Mix, and cooked in Lodge Cast Iron® cookware with your complete name, mailing or street address, city, state and zip code, daytime phone number and date of birth. Contest is open to legal residents of the United States and D.C., 18 years or older, except food professionals. Complete Contest Rules are available online at either www.marthawhite.com or www.lodgemfg.com, or by mail by sending a self-addressed envelope with First Class postage to: Official Rules, National Cornbread Cook-Off 2006, 209 7th Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37219 (Vermont residents omit return postage).
To enter by e-mail, send your recipe to cornbread@dvl.com by 11:59 p.m. Central Time.
Send mail-in entries on an 8 1/2 x 11-inch paper to:
National Cornbread Cook-Off 2006
209 7th Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37219
Mail-in entries must be postmarked by February 28, 2006 and received by March 7, 2006. Nine finalists will be chosen from all entries in addition to one finalist selected from winning entries from 2005 Martha White® Cornbread Challenges held at state and local fairs and final judging will be on April 29 in South Pittsburg. Recipes will be judged on the basis of taste, creativity, appetizing appearance, ease of preparation and appropriate use of the product.
Cash and Prizes
The Cook-Off grand champion will win a $4,000 prize and a 30-inch FiveStar® stainless steel gas range (a $2500 value) from the FiveStar Division of Brown Stove Works, Inc., of Cleveland, Tenn.
The second prize winner takes home $500, and the third receives $300. The remaining seven finalists each win $100. All finalists will receive $500 travel reimbursement and special gifts from Martha White® and Lodge Cast Iron.® The ten finalists will be required to provide their own ingredients and cooking equipment for the competition.
Start Cooking
Entries must be an original main dish and be prepared in a Lodge Cast Iron skillet. "Just think about what your family likes to eat with cornbread and combine it all together in a cast iron skillet," advises Linda Carman, the Martha White cornbread expert. "The best recipes usually use basic ingredients put together in a creative way."
Since the first competition in 1997, contest winners have developed some creative and delicious main dish recipes. "Past winners have used creative items such as shrimp, white bean chili and buffalo style chicken in their recipes. We expect the 10th anniversary recipes to raise the bar and be better than ever before," adds Carman.
The last nine winners of the Cornbread Cook-Off include:
2005 - Sandi Klingler of Auburn, AL - Amish Chicken Cornbread Bake
2004 - Valerie Holt of Cartersville, GA - Crescent City Skillet
2003 - Gaynell Lawson of Maryville, TN - White Chicken Chili with Cheddar Hush Puppy Crust
2002 - Diane Sparrow of Osage, Iowa - Buffalo Chicken Cornbread with Blue Cheese Mayonnaise
2001 - Fran Pickens of Hendersonville,TN - Upside-Down Salsa Cornbread
2000 - Kay Gay and Helen Hollansworth of Gulf Shores, AL - Cornbread Supreme 2000
1999 - Janice Carver of Bartlett, TN - Reuben Casserole with Cornbread
1998 - Karen Shankles of Knoxville, TN - Festive Good Luck Cornbread Skillet
1997 - Sue Gulledge of Springville, AL - Chicken and Dressing Skillet Bake
For above winning recipes and many other cornbread recipes as well as complete Contest Rules, visit Martha White on-line at www.marthawhite.com or Lodge Cast Iron at www.lodgemfg.com. Sponsored by Martha White Foods Inc., Lodge Manufacturing Company, and Brown Stove Works, Inc. Void where prohibited.