MARQUETTE –Lori Kulju, aka the Yooper Goddess is competing to be named Favorite Chef in the 2003 Carla Hall presents Favorite Chef competition.

It is a fundraiser for The James Beard Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that aims to create a more equitable and sustainable future in the restaurant industry.

Colossal.org runs the Favorite Chef competition as part of a fundraising campaign on behalf of DTCare, a 501 (c)(3) charity, and has secured a 2-page advertorial to feature the winner.

The contest runs throughout the summer as it narrows the field every few weeks until a winner is announced around August 25, 2023.

Each day you can log in and vote one time, however, in an effort to bring awareness to the James Beard Foundation and its efforts, the contest allows for voters to donate to the JBF in exchange for increased voting power. For example a $25 donation will get you 25 extra votes.

One chef will win $25,000 and appear in a 2-page advertorial in Taste of Home Magazine.

This first round ends on June 22. Subsequent rounds will follow, ultimately narrowing down the field to one winner, “The People’s Choice”.

Kulju said if she were to win the money, she would create an educational cooking program wherein seniors work with children to teach them family recipes.

She said many young one’s grand parents are no longer alive or they don’t have the luxury of spending quality time with them.

On the flip side of that, many seniors do not have grandchildren or they do not live nearby.

This program would give generations an opportunity to fill a void in each other’s lives while passing down cultural, family recipes, like pasties or cudhighi or plum pudding.

You may vote for your favorite chef, and mine, Lori Kulju, aka the Yooper Goddess by visiting her profile at this link: favchef.com/2023/lori-kulju