Z’Tejas Hosts Chile Fest Dessert Contest

Apparently, the folks at Z’Tejas think the summer needs to get even hotter. Through Sunday, August 9, Z’Tejas Southwestern Grill will be hosting their 2nd Annual Chile Fest Dessert Contest. Valley residents have the opportunity to showcase their culinary creativity and submit an original dessert recipe featuring chiles, a fundamental ingredient used throughout the Z’Tejas menu, including the famous Ancho Fudge Pie dessert.
Z’Tejas chefs will choose between three to five submitted recipes from each market to compete in the final competition, where the selected finalists will prepare their chile dessert to be judged by a local celebrity panel of judges on creativity, taste and practicality. The final competition will take place between August 15 and August 18, 2009 where one grand prize winner, and a second and third place winner, will be selected from each market. The culinary master who takes third place will receive a $50 Z’Tejas gift card, the runner up will receive a $75 Z’Tejas gift card and the grand prize winner will have their dessert featured on the local Chile Fest menu that will run from September 7 through September 27, an exclusive meal for 10 prepared by a local Z’Tejas chef. Plus, a portion of the winning dessert’s sales will go to a great cause: $1 of all the dessert’s sales will benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Last year, a Chandler woman won the grand prize for her chipotle-chocolate torte topped with peaches, raspberries and cinnamon-vanilla whipped cream.
Entries must include the recipe name, the number of servings and the list of ingredients in the order they were used. Ingredients should be those available in most grocery stores. Step-by-step preparation and cooking directions must be included as well as entrant information, including name, age, complete address with zip code, telephone number with area code, e-mail (optional) and the closest Z’Tejas. Recipes can be submitted via e-mail at recipes@ztejas.com or by mail to 3909 E. Greenway Parkway Ste. 295, Scottsdale. Online entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m., on August 9 and all mailed entries must be postmarked on or before August 9. http://www.ztejas.com/.