Church invites all to join recipe contest

An Evans church is calling for all cooks to enter its recipe contest.

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The Gospel Water Branch Baptist Church contest will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday with a buffet sampling of the entries in eight categories - appetizers, soups, salads, breads, main dishes/entrees, side dishes, beverages and desserts.

"I like to eat," said Rita Johnson, an event coordinator. "So, if people like to eat, they need to come out and support this effort for the community.''

The public is invited to attend the sampling. Tickets cost $5 in advance and $6 at the door.

Proceeds from the event will go to the church's Community Development Corp., which oversees the church's outreach ministries.

"We provide funding by doing fundraisers to help support those ministries," said Johnson, who also is a Community Development Corp. board member. "Currently right now we have an elderly house that is operational and our anticipation is to develop a family life center, a boys and girls transition home as well as a Christian book store and several other projects."

The contest is open to the public and there is no entry fee to enter a recipe. Those entering must provide a written recipe and enough of the dish to serve 50 teaspoon servings for sampling. Entries are requested by Monday to gauge participation, but recipes will be accepted until the day of the contest.

Recipes will be judged on originality, flavor, ease of preparation and presentation.

Johnson said those attending the sampling will vote on their favorite dish from each category. Community Development Corp. board members will make the final decision. As a Community Development Corp. fundraiser, the church released its first cookbook in December, which is available from the church for $10.

"Our hopes are that from our contest, we'll gather more recipes so we can publish a second edition," Johnson said.

For more information or an entry form, contact Gospel Water Branch Baptist Church at (706) 860-7091.