TABASCO^® Cook & Ladder^® Competition

Trading in their turnout coats and Scott packs for aprons and spice racks, firefighters across the U.S. compete for the title of America's "Hottest" Firehouse Cook and a $10,000 Grand Prize in the TABASCO^® Cook & Ladder^® Competition.

Minnesota Firefighter Crowned America's 'Hottest' Firehouse Cook

http://sev.prnewswire.com/food-beverages/20090203/NY6631603022009-1.html

Cooks Up $10,000 Grand Prize in Fifth National Tabasco(R) Cook & Ladder Competition

NEW YORK, Feb. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Firefighter Tracy Moore with the Minneapolis Fire Department (Engine 5) was crowned "America's Hottest Firehouse Cook" in the fifth national Tabasco(R) Cook & Ladder Competition held in New York City.

(Firefighter Tracy Moore Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090203/NY66316 )

Moore cooked up her favorite recipe -- Mount Tabasco Chocolate Lava Cake - to go head-to-head with the culinary talent of nine other firefighters from around the country and to claim the $10,000 grand prize.

"When I heard my name announced as grand prize winner, I literally jumped in the air," said Moore. "I'm so happy to have won for myself and for my firehouse. I look forward to sharing the $10,000 with them."

Moore will use her prize money to fund a long-anticipated Mount Kilimanjaro climb. Her firehouse will vote on the best use of its share of the money. Ideas range from purchasing new workout equipment, to a fire hose-tester, to bird feeders for outside of the station.

Second place and $5,000 went to Laura Ketelhut with the Fond du Lac Fire Department in Wisconsin for her Smokey Chipotle Mac-n-Cheese. Third place and $2,000 went to Jason Everett with the Vashon Island Fire & Rescue in Washington for his Southwestern Chipotle Cioppino.

All prize money is split evenly between each of the firefighters and their respective firehouses.

Recipes were judged on the following criteria: originality and creativity, taste, use of one or more Tabasco pepper sauces, recipe clarity and presentation.

Contestants prepared their dishes for a judging panel that included Tony Simmons, executive vice president of McIlhenny Company and fifth generation McIlhenny family member; Sara Moulton, executive chef of Gourmet magazine, host of Sara's Weeknight Meals on PBS, and food editor at Good Morning America; Gretchen VanEsselstyn, editor in chief of Chile Pepper magazine; James Oliver Cury, executive editor of Epicurious.com; and Rett Blankenship, a Dallas, Texas firefighter and the 2007 grand prize winner.

In 2000, McIlhenny Company held the first national Tabasco Cook & Ladder Competition in New York City at The Institute of Culinary Education. Since the inaugural cook-off, the tradition has continued biannually.

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