Cooks' calendar

EVENTS

Slow Food Columbia will host a barbecue dinner 4-6 p.m. Feb 27 at City Roots Farm to celebrate local sustainable food and raise awareness of the slow food movement. Pulled pork supplied by Caw Caw Creek Farm will be prepared by SMOKE! Southern Barbecue Revival of Blythewood. Vegetarian dishes will be available. Tom Hall and the Plowboys will perform. City Roots Farm is at 1005 Airport Blvd, near Owens Field Airport off Rosewood Drive. Tickets and more information at http://slowfoodcolumbia.blogspot.com.

Sign up for the Carolina Pit Masters BBQ School March 12 and 13 in Summerville and learn the fine art of Southern barbecue while helping children in need. The two day event, hosted by the Carolina Pit Masters and the Omar Shriners, puts participants in a simulated BBQ competition to learn the low and slow methods of smoking meat. Students actively plan, select, prepare and present ribs, pork shoulder and whole hogs. Judging will be with experienced certified BBQ judges. Proceeds to benefit the Shriners Hospital for Children. Space is limited. Email carolinapitmasters@gmail.com, or call Jack Waiboer at (843) 767-4800. More information at http://carolinapitmasters.com

Get locally grown, fresh produce at the all-local farmers market at 701 Whaley St. From 8 a.m. To noon every Saturday. For a list of participating vendors, see http://stateplate.org.

Contests

The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Charleston is accepting applications for the Best Teen Chef Competition 2010. The top prize winner will earn a full-tuition scholarship toward a bachelor's degree, an associate's degree, certificate or diploma program to study culinary arts at any of the 30 participating Art Institutes. To be eligible, high school seniors must submit a completed entry form by Friday. . More information at http://artinstitutes.edu/pr.aspx?ID=ai1006 or e-mail Brittanie McPherson at lmcpherson@aii.edu.

Think you're hot stuff? Then enter the Palladium Society's 12th Annual Chili Cook-Off. This event, hosted by the Historic Columbia Foundation, is seeking contestants in categories such as vegetarian, meat and heart healthy chili recipes. Cook-off will be Feb. 27 at the Ellison Building at the State Fairgrounds. Advance tickets to the event are $20 for nonmembers and $15 for members and include beer, wine, chili and live music. Get more info and download entry forms at http://historiccolumbia.org. or call (803) 252-7742 ext. 29. Deadline for entries is Feb. 22.

Martha White and Lodge Cast Iron are looking for the best main dish corn bread recipes. Ten finalists will compete in a bake-off for a chance to win $5,000 and a 30-inch stainless-steel gas range ($3,200 value) from Five Star Professional Cooking Equipment. Enter your best recipe at marthawhite.com or e-mail an entry with your name, address, daytime phone, date of birth and grocery retailer to cornbread@dvl.com. You also can mail an entry to National Cornbread Cookoff 2010, 209 7th Ave. North, Nashville, TN 37219. Deadline is March 1. Find official rules at http://marthawhite.com and lodgemfg.com.

Calling all cooks - high school students, amateurs, independent bakers and professionals. The American Pie Council and Crisco are seeking entries for the national pie championships april 23-25 in Orlando, Fla. Deadline for entries: April 9. Find rules and regulations at http://piecouncil.org.

Classes

Columbia's Cooking, healthy cooking classes through the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at USC: Feb. 12, Romantic evening for two, $60 per couple, call 1-877-256-5381; Feb. 16, Health Heart meals on a budget, $15, call 1-877-256-5381; Feb. 24, "Julie and Julia" Healthy French cuisine, $30, call Brooke Roper at (803) 576-5613 or email roperbl@mailbox.sc.edu . Columbia's Cooking Kitchen is at 915 Greene St.

Chef Francois Fisera hosts cooking classes at Fleur de Lys Home Culinary Institute. Upcoming classes include: Friday and Saturday, provencal lobster; Tuesday, Eggstraordinaire hands on class; Feb. 12 and 13, crackling salmon with truffles. Fleur de Lys is at 3001 Millwood Ave, (803) 765-9999 or http://fleur-de-lys.us.