Local cooks will be able to see how their favorite dishes rank according to the taste buds of New Iberia gourmets during The Daily Iberian’s inaugural Taste of the Teche event.

Sponsored by Rouses Market, the Oct. 27 event will pit local chefs against each other to see who has the ultimate dish. Winners of the event will have their recipes featured in The Daily Iberian’s annual cookbook.

The public will be able to purchase a general admission ticket, which will allow them to receive five voting tickets and a chance to sample some of the best food in Cajun country. A cash bar and live music will also be part of the fun.

Daily Iberian General Manager Shanna Dickens said the event was created as a way to maintain The Daily Iberian’s annual cookbook tradition.

“Sourcing content for our annual cookbook has become more challenging because you’re going up against all of the recipe outlets that are so popular on social media,” Dickens said. “But it’s such a great tradition that we decided to make a few changes to increase interest.”

The cookbook edition will be inserted in the Thanksgiving edition, the most popular issue of the year, Dickens said.

“We also felt like it was time to have an event tied to the cookbook so that we could celebrate all of the culinary talent we have in the Teche area. The recipes of the entries will be published in the cookbook notating the winning dishes,” Dickens said.

Daily Iberian Publisher Michael Messerly said he was looking forward to making a taste event here in the Teche Area.

“I’ve lived throughout the country and I know there’s no better cooking than here in Louisiana,” Messerly said. “I’m really looking forward to starting a taste event and making it a traditional event right here in the Teche region.”

All entry forms and general admission tickets must be submitted by Friday, Oct. 22. For the day of the event, all contestants must arrive by 5:30 p.m. Judging and sampling will begin at 6 p.m. Participants must bring their own signage for their table to identify themselves and their dish.

All food must be prepared offsite, and all food must be served preplated in sample sizes.

Contestants are responsible for keeping their dishes warm or cool. They also are responsible for bringing all sampling/serving flatware and platware.

Participants can enter as either a home cook or a business. A home cook won’t be able to display any signage or hand out any brand merchandise, but businesses will be able to take advantage of the marketing opportunity and promote their business.

To sign up online, go to https://www.iberianet.com/taste-of-the-teche/. You can also send an e-mail to karla.borde@daily-iberian.com.

“This event is such a natural fit that when we came up with the idea I had to Google it to make sure it didn’t already exist,” Dickens said. “I think it has potential to continue to grow each year.”