Mildred “Mama Dip” Council and Minister Robert Campbell will be among the celebrity judges when two Orange County residents compete in a community “Throwdown†celebrating African-American Foodways in the South this Saturday at noon at Efland-Cheeks Elementary School.
Chrisean Fuller of Efland-Cheeks and D’Jenna Crayton of Chapel Hill will go head-to-head in the cooking contest, which features innovative twists on traditional vegetable dishes.
At stake are the champion title and a $200 cash prize. The finalists’ recipes – Oven Roasted Okra and Spicy Sautéed Collard Greens – were evaluated in a blind taste test by a panel of community and health experts, surpassing 18 other contest entries. Recipes were evaluated on taste, healthfulness and cultural relevance.
The cooking competition is part of a larger documentary effort, The Efland Food Project, which aims to document traditional black recipes and culinary customs at risk for being lost.