Showcase Your Culinary Skills

• What You Need To Know

  The Taste Cooks! hosted by Rachel Belle

  Rachel Belle is the host of Your Last Meal, a James Beard Award finalist for best podcast & the host of The Nosh with Rachel Belle on Cascade PBS. Her cookbook, Open Sesame, will be published by Sasquatch books in November 2024.

  Rachel will ensure that, whether you’re seasoned in front of a live audience, or a little nervous, you are bound to have a memorable experience. The host will engage with each chef during the cook-off sessions, ask questions, take audience questions, and guide you from start to finish. Bon appetite!

• Who Can Apply & What You Get

  We are looking for chefs from all walks of life. Whether you’re a professional caterer, corporate chef, sous chef or registered in a culinary arts program, The Taste Cooks! is the stage for you. 

  Chefs will receive $150 for their participation in each 1-hour session, plus $25 in food tickets and one complimentary parking pass. Chefs may participate in multiple sessions/days if available! The final schedule will be determined by The Taste Northwest.

• Mystery Ingredients Cook-Off

  Are you ready for some fast cooking action? Chefs will go head-to-head in a mystery ingredient cook-off! Chefs will be given 3 mystery ingredients, a small pantry of basic cooking staples and 20 minutes to make their dish. 

  The host will count down and emcee the cook-off, engaging chefs and the audience during this fast-paced and exciting event. Each chef will present their final entree to a judging panel selected from the audience, who, after tasting the dish, will determine the winner. 

  All competitions will be done on a fully-equipped stage including pots, pans, stove top, blenders and other appliances. Chefs are welcome to bring their own knives and any specialty pans but no special ingredients.

• Dates & Schedule

  The Taste Cooks! runs each day of the event:

  • Friday June 28
  • Saturday June 29
  • Sunday June 30

  Timeslots are 1-hour in duration and begin at 12:00pm with the last time slot at 6:00pm.