Calling All Cooks!

Come to cook --- see how Dutch Oven cooking is done --- come to eat --- listen to music --- or just visit with the happy crowd at the Southwest New Mexico 7th Annual Dutch Oven Cook-Off on Saturday, March 28 in Glenwood, New Mexico!

The event will be held again at the Glenwood Community Park on CatWalk Road in Glenwood, New Mexico (just an hour north of Silver City)

In previous years, there were cooks from Glenwood, Cliff, Gila, Reserve, Albuquerque, Cuba, Las Cruces, Silver City (New Mexico) and communities in Arizona.

Everyone is welcome to enter, no matter where you call home!(If you need overnight lodging, there are several unique motels in Glenwood.) Those interested in entering as a Dutch Oven Cook this year, please contact: Event Organizers: Leah Jones (Glenwood) (575) 539-2800 Email ~ leahj@starband.net Linda Locklar (Silver City) Email ~ lindamanyponies@hotmail.com Zana Wood (Las Cruces) (575) 805.7170 Email ~ loschilehead@msn.com These ladies can give you all the details, but here are the basics: Cooking categories are one pot or three pots (Main Dish, Bread, Dessert). Cooks can enter on their own, or as a team. Entry fee ~ $ 15 for Single Pot, $ 30 for Three Pots. Cooks can set up their camp and start their fires at 8:00 am. Some entrants bring cowboy-camp setups, teepees and tents, and one entry even drives a mule-drawn chuckwagon to camp! (The Glenwood Park features shady trees and open spaces for camp set-ups)

There will be a Cooks’ Meeting at 9:45 AM. Cooking time is from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm., during which time spectators always enjoy going from camp to camp, seeing “what’s cookin’” and getting to know the cooks. Judging is done on Presentation, Cleanliness, and Taste. After the Judges have tasted all the dishes and are tabulating their results, here comes the best part of the day ~ about 3:00 pm, Dutch Oven cooks bring their pots to the Pavilion, multitudes of folks show up to purchase Taster Plates ($5.00 for adults, $2.00 for children under 12), and the “Tasters’ Delight” eatin’ begins! Each Dutch Oven cook will put a spoonful of their dish on each plate, and there are usually about 30-40 different dishes on the buffet line.

There are musicians lined up to entertain on this special day, and invite others to join in the fun! Tables and benches are provided for the diners, and after everyone is served, Awards and prizes are presented to the winning cooks. (Proceeds from this event each year go towards the upkeep of the Glenwood Community Park.)

Glenwood’s Dutch Oven Cook-Off was first started by Wendy Peralta, owner of the Glenwood Trading Post, in 2003. Each year since, the event has grown --- in size, number of cooks, and fun! This event is reminiscent of the old days when members of small communities would gather for shared food and “visiting.” This is the seventh annual year for the Dutch Oven, and it promises to be another memorable occasion, one you won’t want to miss!