VALDOSTA — Several former Grand Prize winners will try for another Grand Prize in our 41st Annual Valdosta Daily Times Taste-off June 6 at Mathis City Auditorium.

Teresa Steinberg, four-time Grand Prize winner in 1988, 1991, 1999 and last year, will compete in Salads with Springtime Rice and Asparagus Salad and Desserts with Coconut “Dream” Cake with Lemon/Lime Filling. Kay Jennett, three-time Grand Prize winner in 1981, 1987 and 1993, will compete in Main Dishes with her Cherry Almond Chicken with Dried Cherry Pilaf. Debbi Hart, 2003 Grand Prize winner, will have her hands full competing in Appetizers with Cheesy Chicken And Artichoke Bites and in Diet Foods with Bruschetta-Stuffed Chicken Breasts.

The “family feud” is on with sisters Ellen McCarthy and Marie Wood competing in Cookies & Candies with Pear Custard Bars and Elegant Almond Bars respectively. McCarthy will also compete in Breads with Amazing Summer Squash Corn Bread and in Meats with Thyme Mustard Catfish Over Black-Eyed Pea Cakes.

Newcomers joining in the Taste-off fun are Rachel Paytee in Appetizers with Firecracker Shrimp, Michelle Glose in Breads with Roasted Garlic Rosemary Braid and in Appetizers with Layered Fiesta Dip, and Darcy Lenz with in Cookies & Candies with Classic Italian Pizzeles.

The 45 contestants will bring their already prepared dishes to the Taste-off. The judges will have two hours to taste the dishes.

The cake-decorating contestants, Holly Wheelis, Mark Starr and Christin Crosby of Valdosta; Priscilla Greene of Adel; Rebecca Browning of Nashville; and Debbie Ives of Quitman, will be busy during that time decorating their cakes using a patriotic theme.

Thanks to the World Hi Fi, who will be donating the Grand Prize Runner-Up award, the Creative Design Runner-Up Award and gift certificates for two of the cake-decorating contestants. Summit Pointe merchants are donating a basket of gifts for the Grand Prize winner and Hahira merchants, a basket of gifts for the Cake Decorating winner in our cookbook contest. Nails by Chris has donated pedicures and Azalea’s in the Holiday Inn, two gift certificates for two Sunday buffets, for some of the Cake Decorating prizes.

Assisting at the Taste-off will be 4-H’ers Ariel Dudley of Lowndes High and Alexia Solis of Valwood School, both upcoming juniors.

The awards ceremony will be held at 3:45 p.m. June 6 at Mathis city auditorium, followed by a reception, open to the public.

Claire Spriggs, Grand Prize winner in the 2000 Taste-off, will be the emcee.

All 45 contestants plus the six who participated in the cake-decorating contest will be featured in the July issue of ValdostaScene magazine.