THURSDAY - Dec. 17, 2009

UPDATE ON SOUTH FLORIDA COOKOFFS

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Hi Everybody,

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As some of you may know, due to the economy Doug & Carolyn Roy have been having problems getting sponsorship for their terrific Florida State Cookoff, held the last several years over in the Tampa area. With their blessings, a group down here in South Florida has been doing some due diligence, to see if we could find the cookoff a new home/sponsorship.

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I have some tentative (good) news on the subject, plus some additional information on other events in the area which I want to share with the group. The purpose here is to provide a "heads up" for cooks who may want to do some medium range planning.

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First on the Florida State Cookoff: a group in the Upper Keys (that is the northern third of the Florida Keys) contacted me about wanting to revive the chili cookoff in the Keys. I told them that was an outstanding idea, given all the positive inputs I had received at the World Championship from cooks who told me how much they missed the cookoff; however, I also mentioned to the potential organizers, that we would most likely have to start with a District Cookoff (or perhaps back-to-back Districts).

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In order to try and make it a World Qualifier, I contacted Doug again and he said that he would gladly give up the State Cookoff sanction, if someone was prepared to keep it alive. I then contacted Carol (Hancock), who said that by all means we should do all we can to save the State Cookoff, especially since Doug has approved.

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The folks in the Keys have tentatively selected the weekend of March 13^th & 14^th for the cookoff(s) – Florida State Cookoff, and perhaps a District on Sunday (there is also a long shot for a second World Qualifier, but too early to go there); however, there is still a lot of work to be done. My gut tells me that it has a good chance of happening, so I wanted to get the word out for cooks to at least think about it.

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After doing some research, I saw that the Gulf Coast Regional at St George Island up in the Florida Panhandle is historically held the first weekend in March. I also know that is a very popular and well attended cookoff (Marshall & I have not been involved because it is quite a haul from here – 10+ hours by car each way).

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Well…assuming that 2010 follows the historical pattern, it could conceivably make one heck of a nice Florida vacation in March (with some of our prettiest weather)…A vacation that would include World Qualifier cookoffs as bookends.

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Start at the Florida Panhandle and St George Island with their gorgeous beaches, a leisurely trip down the state - Disney World in Orlando, St Augustine & the Space Center on the East Coast, lots of places on the West Coast, the Everglades – and wind up at the unique (and beautiful) Florida Keys; "it doesn't get any better than that!" No, I am not in the travel industry, but it sure sounds like a heck of a nice vacation.

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In closing; new subject:

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In speaking with Robert Trepp, who put on the terrific back-to-back Acreage Regional Cookoffs up near West Palm Beach last year (and who also brought us "The Chili Chicks" for the 2009 World Championship in Charleston), he told me that he has set the dates for 2010. He has scheduled the cookoffs for April 24^th & 25^th - mark your calendars; these are outstanding cookoffs and "super cook friendly", just ask anybody who was there in 2009.

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That's it for now; I'll keep everybody posted,

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Sergei Kowalchik

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