Townsquare’s Media fourth annual Taste of Home Cooking demonstration dazzled attendees’ eyes and tastebuds Saturday.
Local KVKI morning talk show radio personalities, Robert J. Wright and Erin McCarty brought plenty of smiles to folks inside the Bossier Civic Center Saturday with a live demonstration from Culinary Specialist Jamie Dunn.
Dunn, demonstrated her top ten, all time favorite recipes for the audience, followed by multiple numbers of drawings and giveaways.
Attendees also received a free door prize with every ticket purchased.
Dara Martin, who has been coming to the show for the past four years, has not won prize yet, but that hasn’t hindered her enthusiasm when it comes to watching Dunn.
“Hopefully, this will be my lucky year,” Martin said.
Townsquare Media General Sales Manager Johnette Robinson believes it is Dunn herself that brings faithful followers such as Martin back to the show each year.
“Jamie is just phenomenal with the recipes—there isn’t a bad seat in the house,” Robinson said.
Yet, the night’s biggest winner of the “Vendor Scavenger Hunt” went to Brittney Council.
Council’s screams of joy echoed across the hall when contest officials called her named as the grand prize winner of Johnson Furniture dining room table giveaway.
Practically in tears, she scooped her young son Cadin into her arms as she meandered up to the stage to claim her victory.
“I had just been looking for a dining room set last week. Up until tonight, I had no dining room table at all—this is crazy,” she said.
Akin to most of those attending Saturday’s show, Council’s said her favorite dish for the night was Dunn’s Shrimp Cakes.
Dunn herself conceded that out of the ten dishes cooked, the Shrimp Cakes were her personal favorite as well.
“I just love them,” Dunn said.
Not to be left out, Dunn gave away a countless number of other prizes to lucky winners throughout the show - hanging ferns and flowers, donated by Lowes, electric salt and pepper grinders, donated by Townsquare Media, goodie bags, donated by Brookshire’s, as well as cookbooks and cooking ware.
Saturday’s show did not lack great advice for culinary enthusiasts and novice chefs alike. “Must haves” for the everyday kitchen, such as basil and cooking shears, salt substitutes, such as lemon juice, smoking something for barbeque lovers and chicken to replace the rising cost of beef were just a few of the helpful pointers that Dunn suggested during her show.
“Americans are really beginning to cook more and more with chicken as an alternative for beef—and frankly, it’ s the best value as a substitute,” she said.
To maximize the flavor, Dunn suggested using garden fresh basil and recommends when cooking with alcohol to blend the liquor in the early during stages of the recipe, so as not to overpower the flavor of the dish.
“Any kind of liquor needs to be mixed in during the early stages of cooking to enhance, rather than hinder, the flavor of the food,” Dunn said.
