010411 Montana Man Wins Nat’l Chicken Cooking Contest

Sacramento, CA - Bob Gadsby, 49, a U.S. customs inspector from Great Falls, Montana, took first place and won $25,000 in the 44th National Chicken Cooking Contest here today with crabcake-style ``Tuscan Chicken Cakes with Tomato-Basil Relish.''

Gadsby's recipe uses pre-cooked chicken as the main ingredient, plus seasoned bread crumbs, mayonnaise, egg, pesto, honey mustard, roasted peppers and red onion, formed into cakes, quickly cooked, and topped with relish and aioli sauce. This is the first time that Contest rules have permitted the use of pre-cooked chicken, and Gadsby used meat from a rotisserie chicken purchased at a local store.

``I really like crab cakes, and decided to try the same idea with chicken,'' said Gadsby, who is the first male to win the contest since 1976.

``It was the most original recipe we saw, a creative use of chicken in cake form,'' said Heather McPherson, food editor of the Orlando Sentinel and chairman of the judging panel, of the winning recipe. ``We liked the execution of the idea, and it suits the fast paced lifestyle people lead today.''

Second place and $5,000 in the national contest went to Rosalie Seebeck of Bethany, Oklahoma, who prepared ``Spicy Chicken Cutlets with Three Pepper Slaw;'' third place and $3,000 was won by Diane Sparrow of Osage, Iowa, who made ``Maple Mustard Chicken Drumsticks with Sticky Sauce;'' fourth place and $2,000 went to Ruth Kendrick of Ogden, Utah, with ``Chimichurri Chicken Thighs;'' and fifth place and $1,000 was won by Cori Stokes of Kamiah, Idaho, who made ``Chicken and Black Bean Soup.''

Ms. Seebeck, Ms. Sparrow, and Ms. Kendrick also won $1,000 each as a bonus for using leg meat predominantly in their recipes.

The Contest is sponsored by the National Chicken Council and the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, and is hosted locally by the California Poultry Federation. It is considered a showcase for U.S. cooking trends. Judges were fourteen leading food writers from newspapers and magazines around the country and the chef at a leading Sacramento restaurant.

Contestants representing every state and the District of Columbia prepared their recipes at the Sacramento Convention Center this morning on Spectra ranges provided by GE Appliances of Louisville, Kentucky. Gadsby will also receive a Profile Arctica refrigerator from GE.

``This contest always produces exciting new ideas,'' said George Watts, president of the National Chicken Council. ``Home cooks are looking for recipes that are convenient and flavorful, and chicken is the perfect solution.''

``Chicken is America's favorite food at the center of the plate,'' said Don Dalton, president of the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association. ``This contest shows that America's home cooks continue to find innovative ways to prepare and serve chicken.''

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