Calling All Dutch Oven Cooks  (and those who’d like to try their hand at “black pot” cookin’…)!
Come to cook — see how Dutch Oven cooking is done — come to eat — listen to music — or just visit
with the happy crowd at the Southwest New Mexico 7th Annual Dutch Oven Cook-Off on Saturday, March 28 in Glenwood, New Mexico!

The event will be held again at the Glenwood Community Park on CatWalk Road in Glenwood, New Mexico (just an hour north of Silver City).

In previous years, we had cooks from Glenwood, Cliff, Gila, Reserve, Albuquerque, Cuba,
Las Cruces, Silver City (New Mexico) and communities in Arizona.

Everyone is welcome to enter, no matter where you call home! (If you need overnight lodging, there are several unique motels in Glenwood.)

Those interested in entering as a Dutch Oven Cook this year, please contact the Event Organizers:

Leah Jones (Glenwood)  (575) 539-2800          Email ~ leahj@starband.net

Linda Locklar  (Silver City)                   Email ~ lindamanyponies@hotmail.com

Zana Wood  (Las Cruces)  (575) 805.7170    Email ~ loschilehead@msn.com

These ladies can give you all the details, but here are the basics:

Cooking categories are one pot or three pots (Main Dish, Bread, Dessert).  Cooks can enter on their own, or as a team.  Entry fee ~ $ 15 for Single Pot, $ 30 for Three Pots.

Cooks can set up their camp and start their fires at 8:00 am.  Some entrants bring cowboy-camp setups, teepees and tents, and one entry even drives a mule-drawn chuckwagon to camp!  (The Glenwood Park features shady trees and open spaces for camp set-ups)

There will be a Cooks’ Meeting at 9:45 AM. Cooking time is from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm., during which time spectators always enjoy going from camp to camp, seeing “what’s cookin’” and getting to know the cooks. Judging is done on Presentation, Cleanliness, and Taste.

After the Judges have tasted all the dishes and are tabulating their results, here comes the best part of the day ~ about 3:00 pm, Dutch Oven cooks bring their pots to the Pavilion, multitudes of folks show up to purchase Taster Plates ($5.00 for adults, $2.00 for children under 12), and the “Tasters’ Delight” eatin’ begins!  Each Dutch Oven cook will put a spoonful of their dish on each plate, and there are usually about 30-40 different dishes on the buffet line.

We have some musicians lined up to entertain on this special day, and invite others to join in the fun!

Tables and benches are provided for the diners, and after everyone is served, Awards and prizes are presented to the winning cooks.  (Proceeds from this event each year go towards the upkeep of the Glenwood Community Park.)

Glenwood’s Dutch Oven Cook-Off was first started by Wendy Peralta, owner of the Glenwood Trading Post, in 2003.  Each year since, the event has grown — in size, number of cooks, and fun!  This event is reminiscent of the old days when members of small communities would gather for shared food and “visiting.”  This is the seventh annual year for the Dutch Oven, and it promises to be another memorable occasion, one you won’t want to miss!

Dutch oven from the 1890s

Friday, December 7th – Sunday, December 9th 2007

In winter’s heart of darkness, native peoples gathered around fires and told stories. At Bear Mountain Lodge, the tradition continues. Join us around our hearth and on our nearby preserves for a winter weekend of Apache and Mimbreño lore. Who were these peoples and what stories guided their lives? What messages have drifted down to us through time? Joined by a local archaeologist and astronomer, we will look for answers scattered among the stones, and we will look to the stars above. And in the warm light of the lodge’s fire, we will look beyond winter’s darkness into the storied heart of the past.

General Information & Fees: $350 per person Lodging tax not included Includes 3 nights lodging, 3 suppers, one sack lunch and $25 donation to The Nature Conservancy.

(505) 538-2538 or 1-877-620-2327

Bear Mountain Lodge
P.O. Box 1163
Silver City, NM 88061

www.bearmountainlodge.com