Tuesday, April 17, 2012

And the Golden Onion Goes To...

A dozen Georgia chefs will compete in the inaugural Golden Onion professional cooking competition preceding the 35th Annual Vidalia Onion Festival April 26-29 in Vidalia, Ga. Our personal favorites in the April 22 recipe creation competition are Marc Taft, owner and executive chef of Chicken and the Egg in Marietta, and Chef Richard Wiggins, executive chef at Spice Market in the W Atlanta - Midtown. All eyes and cleavers will be on the star of the cutting board - the Vidalia onion, the prominent ingredient in every recipe. Chefs Taft and Wiggins both sing praises about Georgia's mild and gentle state vegetable. Taft appreciates that their "flavor profile makes them easy to blend into dishes because they complement other ingredients so well; they're also fantastic alone." Wiggins enjoys "the sweetness and ability to manipulate the flavor" of Vidalia onions. First-place winner takes home the Golden Onion trophy for one year plus $500. Second-place winner receives $250, and third place receives $100. Competition takes place in the Vidalia Community Center and opens to the public at 12:30 p.m. Purchase $5 tickets in advance at the Vidalia Onion Museum; $10 at the door. 

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