Weekend Eats: Good Food Day's Cabbage Cooking Contest

Cabbage: Love It or Hate It?
Photo: Wikipedia

Cabbage. I can't think of a more polarizing food. Some people love its signature stink, waxy leaves, and rubbery post-boil texture. Others hate it, well, for the exact same reasons. If you're like me and fall in in the former camp, you might want to check out this Sunday's "From Kim Chee to Cole Slaw" cabbage cooking contest, the closing event of Good Food Day at downtown's Metabolic Studios. Heck, you can even throw your best cabbage recipe into the pot (literally).

"From Kim Chee to Cabbage" dishes are judged in three categories: Best Fermented Dish (sauerkraut, kim chee, etc.), Best Fresh Dish (coleslaw, curtido, etc.), and Best Cooked Dish (cabbage rolls, cabbage soup, etc.) Judges include the Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold, Councilmembers Eric Garcetti and Ed Reyes, Chef Josiah Citrin of Melisse, A Champions for Change mom and one special local farmer (not announced at time of release). 

Mmm... Kim Chee!
Photo: Fabulous Foods

Of course, there are some rules for participants, but you can read about them here along with Sunday's judging schedule. If you want to add your cabbage recipe to the tasting, email Joyce Chan at joyce@see-la.org with your name, email address, phone number and the category you are entering (fermented, fresh or cooked). Or, if you've got questions, feel free to call her at (323) 463-3171.

"From Kim Chee to Cabbage" is part of Good Food Day LA, a citywide event dedicated to learning about, celebrating and volunteering to strengthen Los Angeles' local food system, namely every food source within 200 miles of our sprawling metropolis. Mayor Villaraigosa and the LA Food Policy Council has made Good Food Day LA an official day of service and has dedicated over 40 sites to planting and harvesting crops, seasonal cooking and food sustainability workshops.