PHOTO COURTESY OF CHUCKWAGON CAFE
Food, auctions and fundraisers will fill the back parking lot at the Chuckwagon Cafe on Saturday, Sept. 21, as the restaurant celebrates its 43rd anniversary and its 10th annual Dutch Oven Cook-Off.
Now a tradition for the restaurant north of Hermiston, the cook-off began with a simple request, according to Cathy Stolz, who co-owns the Chuckwagon with her mother, Dorothy Beason.
“A man named John Nichols called up my mother and I and asked if we would judge a Dutch oven cook-off he and some pals were doing just for fun,” Stolz said. “They had 10 entries, and they were all fantastic. It took us 45 minutes to judge.”
Toward the end of the event, Stolz said Nichols announced he would not be able to host another cook-off because he was selling the property the group had met on. Stolz immediately raised her hand and said, “I know where we can hold it.”
The next year, it became the Chuckwagon Cafe Annual Dutch-Oven Cook-Off, and over the past decade, the event has raised more than $13,000 for Hermiston Boy Scout Troop 679 and local school programs – primarily athletic teams – and groups at Umatilla High School.
The cook-off serves as both a community fundraiser and a celebration of the restaurant’s anniversary. This year, Chuckwagon Cafe recognizes its 43rd anniversary.
“It’s been a wonderful ride,” Stolz said. “People in this area are so generous. We’ve fallen in love with the people in this area, and as long as they keep coming through the doors, we’ll keep serving the best.”
To celebrate its 10th year, the organizers have opened the Dutch Oven Cook-Off up to all contestants – amateur or profession. In the past, the contest, which requires contestants to fully cook a dish in cast iron Dutch ovens, has only accepted amateur cooks.
“We’ve opened it up this year. Anyone who teachers or caters or does anything like that, they’re welcome to come,” Stolz said. “Anyone is welcome. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got a high-end cut of meat or no meat at all. We’ve had people make prime rib, and we have people who make scalloped potatoes or rolls.”
For a $10 entry fee, cooks receive a space along Cook’s Row and the chance for the “People’s Choice” top prize: $100 and bragging rights. One entry also receives an “honorable mention” award: a $50 gift certificate to the Chuckwagon Cafe. Both winners are selected based on taster votes. For $4, anyone can purchase a sampling plate, try as many of the entries as they’d like and cast a ballot.
Past entries have included everything from jambalaya to Shepherd’s Pie, cornbread to Cowboy Camp Stew. An entry of ‘Them There Beans’ took the People’s Choice Award last year.
Organizers are encouraging cooks to register as soon as possible, however, so they know how many materials to prepare.
“We would never turn anyone away. They’re welcome to come that morning,” Stolz said. “They may have to rough it, but we’ll make room.”
The Boy Scouts are usually the first cooks to arrive, Stolz said, camping out at the site overnight, preparing breakfast for the troop and a variety of cobblers they sell during the event. Other cooks will arrive during the morning, and the main action kicks off at 10 a.m., when The Buttercreek Boys will take the stage and the concession stands open.
In addition to the Boy Scouts’ cobbler tent, the Umatilla Booster Club will also have a concession stand on site to sell elephant ears and specialty drinks, such as the Dreamsicle and the Tootsie Roll Float.
At 11 a.m., the Boy Scouts will host the opening ceremony, and the 30-minute, 30-item auction begins at 11:30 a.m. The dinner bell rings at noon, when the cooks will take the tops off the oven and begin serving to anyone who purchased a sampling plate. Diners will cast their votes, and the winner will be announced at 12:30 p.m.
All proceeds from the event, including tasting plates, donations and the auction, will be split between Hermiston Boy Scout Troop 679 and the Umatilla Booster Club. For more information or to register as a cook, call 541-567-6329 or visit the Chuckwagon website.
Schedule
10 a.m. Buttercreek Boys perform, concession stands open
11:30 a.m. 30-minute, 30-item auction
12 p.m. Tasting/Judging begins
12:30 pm. Winner announced
