SHELBY — Aileen Stewart said she has always viewed cooking as a way to comfort people and bring them together.
“Food is something we all have in common,” she said.
Stewart is a Willard native but has lived in Shelby for about 25 years. She is currently gathering votes to advance in a “Favorite Chef” competition for $25,000, a feature in “Taste of Home” magazine and a cooking experience with celebrity chef Carla Hall.
The competition is run by fundraising platform Colossal with proceeds going toward the James Beard Foundation to create an equitable and sustainable future in the restaurant industry.
According to the foundation’s website, its mission is “to honor chefs and other leaders making America’s food culture more delicious, diverse and sustainable for everyone.”
Stewart has managed the Shelby Farmers Market for about 10 years. She said her personal favorite items to make in the kitchen are cookies and soups.
“I love to bake and cook,” Stewart said. “I’m in the cookbook club at the Shelby library and manage the farmers market here in town.”
Stewart said her top sellers at the farmers market are mini quick breads, the most popular being caramel apple pecan bread.
The 55-year-old found the Favorite Chef competition scrolling through Facebook one day and applied with a short bio and photos of her cooking creations.
“I figured I had nothing to lose by trying,” she said. “Even if I don’t make it all the way, I’ve had the most fun time in the rounds so far.
“The biggest thing that makes me happy is all the people who are voting for me. I think that says a lot about small towns and our community.”
The competition was randomly split into more than 1,500 different voting groups. There were 62 applicants in Stewart’s voting group and she is now in the top 10. People can vote in the top ten round to advance a top 5 through Thursday, June, 13 at 4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
Favorite chef competition includes 9 voting rounds
Stewart has advanced through two voting rounds already to make it into the top 15 of her voting group.
The top vote-winner in each group will advance to quarterfinals. Runner-ups in group finals will also have a chance to advance in a “wildcard” round. Semifinal and final rounds are scheduled for July.
Quarterfinalists are also able to submit a “plating presentation” photo for Carla Hall to select as the “Carla’s Pick” prize-winner. Hall’s pick and the people’s choice grand prize winner will be announced in early August.
Voters can submit one free vote each 24 hours with a connected Facebook account or have the option for additional votes by donating to the James Beard Foundation.
Stewart is also a children’s book author and she said food and recipes are frequently incorporated into those stories.
“I didn’t notice until my friend had mentioned after reading one of my earlier books that my passion for cooking had made its way into my writing,” she said.
Stewart sells homemade granola, cookies, scotchies, brownies and mini quick breads at the Shelby Farmers Market, which is open from 9 a.m. to noon each Saturday from the second week in June to mid-September.
If Stewart breaks the top 10 in the third round of voting, she will advance to round four, which will be open from June 13 to 20. Group finals determining a winner from each group will follow before quarterfinals.
Voters can visit https://favchef.com/2024/aileen-stewart to vote for Stewart.
