Competition was palpable as five spirited teams vied in the third year for the Edgar County 4-H Cooking Challenge.

Mary Liz Wright, coordinator of the event, explained the competition rules to the teams participating. Teams were given specific ingredients that were mandatory to use in their creations, and a food pantry was available to augment the required ingredients. From prep time to plating and ready for serving, the teams had 40 minutes to prepare their dishes.

A panel of judges scored the meals on creativity, taste and appeal. The judges stated each team prepared their dishes with variety, selection and good nutrition. The winning team was the Clover Cookers with Gracie Wilson, Luke Shephard, Maddi Shephard and Denim Wheeler. They advance in the competition and will face the winners of the Clark County and Crawford County cook offs.

Other teams in the event were: C&S Cooking Machine, consisting of Remington Laughead, Joselyn Hodge, Ava Simpson and Bud Haddix; the Kitchen Raiders made up of Olivia Smith, Addison Wright, Payton Scott and Ali Cash; the Sassy Classy Divas with Caryton Trogdon, Vivian Brown and Hadly Gher; and the Good Ole Boys made up of Elijah Gher and Vince Hornbrook.