The Super Chef Showdown by Hope House of Union County wowed even the pickiest of palates at First United Methodist Church on March 14, and organizers are incredibly grateful to have raised over $25,000 between ticket sales, event sponsors, a silent auction and private donations.
Every year, all proceeds from the Super Chef Showdown go directly to supporting Hope House, a faith-based, non-profit organization that helps the most financially vulnerable members of the Union County population with the basic necessities of life.
Continue reading with a subscription.
North Georgia News — serving Union County since 1909.
$10 a month. Cancel anytime.
Now in its 14th year, the 2026 cooking competition and fundraiser featured a change that was generally well-received by guests and chefs alike.
Starting at 11 a.m., the new VIP attendance opened up. According to organizer Pam Alexander, the early admission dining was meant to treat VIP ticketholders to a cooking show-like experience. Indeed, VIP seating was right in front of the judges’ table, and guests received portions of each contestant’s cooking at the same time as judges.
Divided into savory and sweet categories, chefs presented their dishes personally to the judges while sous chefs gave a bit of background on each entry. Using score cards, judges Vincent Taylor, James “BBQ” Grubbs and Amy Kight took notes and provided feedback to the chefs.
All of them noted a marked difference in plate presentation this year, with most chefs upping their game to “dress (the food) up a little bit,” as Grubbs put it. The Friends of Vogel State Park went as far as placing their cups of “Black Bear Blueberry Scat” on wood slice plates surrounded by pinecones and decorative foliage.
The dish name turned several heads among guests and provided pause for judges, but the creative monicker only described the appearance of a layered dessert made up of a brownie drizzled in dark chocolate and caramel sauce and topped with blueberries and peanuts.
When it came to the food itself, there was a little something for every taste, and just about every dish came with a story. Raul Espinosa, hailing from Cuba, decided to enter the showdown with the traditional Spanish dessert flan.
Espinosa settled on flan because the choice is unusual for the area, and he made it stand out by adding coconut to the recipe. Prepared with eggs, condensed milk and vanilla, flan has a pudding-like consistency and can be topped with a thin caramel syrup.
The dessert took days to prepare, and though Espinosa has made the dish for family and friends before, he’d never had to make such a large batch at once. That said, he believes the work was well worth the challenge, and it gave him a chance to further his own skills as a chef.
Once all contestants were able to present their dishes for judging, general admission ticketholders were allowed to enter by noon. Master of Ceremonies Patrick Malone welcomed everyone and introduced the day’s musical entertainment.
The South Wind Band has supported the Super Chef Showdown for years, and 2026 was no exception. They catered to guests with a variety of genres, and several attendees – and volunteers – were spotted dancing intermittently.
Along with the good food and equally good music, the silent auction offered diners a chance at taking home everything from home décor to full-size cakes from the day’s chefs.
“I’m really disappointed that I couldn’t eat more,” Jim Appleman teased, with his wife, Linda, agreeing that the event has only gotten better over the years. The pair do enjoy trying the food, but they appreciate the good cause as well. As longtime supporters, this marks the third year they’ve planned to attend.
Meanwhile, Kirsten Anderson came with her mother, Denise Anderson, for the first time. Kirsten saw signs around town and invited Denise to come with her, and the duo decided to take a chance and visit the Super Chef Showdown on their day out.
They weren’t let down in the least. With seats right in front of the band, they agreed that the chili was their top pick, but they also enjoyed the citrus cake and ginger snaps. The Andersons believe they’ll come back next year.
“There’s a lot of people here in need, and so it’s good to have events like this to raise money and help people,” said Kirsten.
By 2 p.m., Malone stepped back out to announce the Showdown’s winners. Of course, the judges had their choices, and First Baptist Church’s Santa Fe “Holy Faith” Chili and Full Throttle Ministries’ baked beans took home First and Second Place in the Savory category, respectively.
As for the Sweets category, First Place went to The Twins’ Grand Oreo Torte, and the Friends of Vogel took home Second Place for their Blueberry Bear Scat.
The public also had a say in winners, and three chefs stood above the rest in the People’s Choice category. Fellowship of the Hills won First Place for their lobster macaroni and cheese, with the Coosa Methodist Men’s Bible Study Group earning Second Place for their sweet Italian sausage and fennel slaw. Last but not least, First Baptist Church once again earned accolades for their chili in Third Place.
One last award always goes to the group that raised the most money for the Hope House, whether through tickets, sponsoring the event itself or earning public votes with donation jars. This year, that honor went to the Coosa Methodist Men’s Bible Study Group.
As things began to wind down, Pam Alexander revealed that there were already some potential new plans in the works for next year, including surveys so the VIP table can have more say in voting.
Overall, Alexander believes that 2026’s Super Chef Showdown was a huge success, and she is thankful for all participants who will, in turn, be making a difference in the lives of those who benefit most from Hope House.
