VALDOSTA — Friday is the deadline for entering the 41st Annual Valdosta Daily Times Cookbook Contest.

New entrants include 11-year-old Jenna Eppes, Drew Greene and Priscilla Greene of Adel; 15-year-old Clay Hurdle of Lake Park; and Darcy Lenz, Ellen McCarthy, Deana Smith, 5-year-old Katie Smith and Jean Woske of Valdosta.

Other participants include Teresa Davis of Homerville; Kevin Spikes of Rt. 2, Lakeland; Penny C. Ray of Nashville; Deana Robinson of Quitman; Jim Jammes of Ray City; Dolores Everette of Statenville; Alice Barton, Virginia Bennett, Frances R. Graham, Susan Grooms, Carol C. Herndon, Lydia Keene, 8-year-old Savannah Keene, Kerry Montgomery, Rachel Paytee, Deborah Rehberg, Edith Shepherd, Tim Wheeler, Lyndal Webb, Holly Wheelis and Marie Wood of Valdosta.

Adults 16 and above may enter as many as eight recipes while those 15 and under may enter one recipe in the children’s category. The categories are Appetizers, Salads, Breads, Vegetables, Meats, Desserts, Cookies and Candies (one category) and diet foods.

To enter, e-mail recipes to vdt.recipes@gaflnews.com by Friday. Be sure to include daytime phone number as well as mailing address. Participants will be informed by mail if they have been selected as one of the 45 contestants to bring their already prepared dishes to the June 6 Taste-off at Mathis city auditorium.

‘Stars And Stripes Forever,’

Those who enjoy decorating cakes can have fun in the cake-decorating competition which features a patriotic theme. To compete in this portion of the Taste-off, they should e-mail pictures of cakes they have previously done along with their names, addresses, and daytime phone numbers to elizabeth.butler@gaflnews.com.

The cake-decorating contestants will bring their already baked cakes (and no pre-made decorations) to the Taste-off. The decorating will be done during the two hours of judging the other nine categories. All five contestants will receive prizes, among them two pedicures from Nails by Chris and two gift certificates for two Sunday buffets at Azaleas in the Holiday Inn.

The other nine categories will be judged for a Creative Design Award and Runner-up with Valdosta Greenhouses presenting the top prize.

Grand Prize will be awarded $300, the Grand Prize Runner-up $200, the remaining eight first places $50 and eight second places $25. Centerpieces will be given to the third places. An exception this year will be the children’s category where the first-place winner will receive the basket centerpiece and $35, the second place will receive $25 and the third place $15.

A total of $1,100 in cash prizes will be given in the contest by The Valdosta Daily Times. Businesses who want to donate prizes to make this event a special one may e-mail elizabeth.butler@gaflnews.com or call 244-3400, Ext. 256.

Five judges will taste the 45 dishes in two hours in the June 6 Taste-off at Mathis city auditorium. They include Amory Basford, director of food services at Valdosta Technical College; Natalie Bishop, culinary arts instructor at Lowndes High School; Harold Chambers, owner of Austins Cattle Co.; Brenda Diah, former pastry chef and baker at Amelia Island Plantation and current advertising representative for The Valdosta Daily Times; and Robin Fretti of All States United Moving and Storage.

A reception will follow the 3:45 p.m. June 6 awards ceremony, which is open to the public. Emcee is Claire Spriggs, Grand Prize winner in the 2000 Taste-off.

The award-winning cookbook will again be a part of the July issue of ValdostaScene magazine.