Great Food for a Great Cause

The Oklahoma Championship Steak Cook-off brings small-town family fun to the backyard of the Deco District on August 24.

The best cooks from all over will descend upon the Deco District and line the streets with grills, steaks and smiles when the fifth annual Oklahoma Championship Steak Cook-off takes place on Saturday, August 24 in downtown Tulsa. The nonprofit OCSC aims to become the ­premier steak cook-off event in America, while promoting and serving the Tulsa area. Attendees are invited to purchase tickets for a 16-ounce steak dinner, which helps support OCSC and their partner projects. In the past, the OCSC has partnered with ­organizations such as Iron Gate, New Hope, Rebuilding Together Tulsa and the Tulsa Food Bank.
    This year, OCSC has ­partnered with Our Garden Project and the Awesome Pretzel Project. Through their work with Our Garden Project, OCSC has helped establish over 40,000 square feet of community ­gardens in the Tulsa area, and intends to see even more growth in the future. The Awesome Pretzel Project, an initiative of Guy Fieri’s Cooking With Kids organization, provides culinary and entrepreneurial experience for youths.
    This broad collaboration has helped OCSC make a positive impact in Tulsa and beyond. With an expected attendance of over 3,500 people, this year’s event will transform the Deco District’s backyard into a ­family-friendly cook-off with all the ­fixings.
    Throughout the day and evening, the OCSC offers great food and entertainment. Two stages will provide live music, including an evening set from Steve Ham and Jambalaya Jass. A car and motorcycle show will fill the streets surrounding Trinity Episcopal Church (6th and Cincinnati), along with vendors and cook-off contestants. Families can look forward to lots of giant inflatables, as well as the Grillin’ with Kids competition open to young cooks aged 8 to 16. Turn in times for competitors are at 1 p.m. for the first round, and 4 p.m. for the top ten. Food will be prevalent throughout the event, but the main dinner lines open at 5:30 p.m. Winners are announced at 7 p.m., with cash prizes totaling over $6,000, in addition to bragging rights.
    Contestants travel from all over to compete in the Oklahoma Championship Steak Cook-off. “Last year, we had teams from Wyoming, Illinois, Texas and other states,” recalls Tripp Haggard, executive director of OCSC. Many other cook-off competitions are held in small towns, and a lot of the travelers remark how much fun they have in Tulsa, looking up at the downtown buildings while they grill. The scene is unique for Tulsans as well – it’s not every day the Deco District grills up thousands of steaks in a single afternoon. “If you drive by on the freeway about noon and look over, it’s going to look like something is on fire,” laughs Haggard. “One year, we heard that someone had called 911, thinking there was a fire downtown because of all the smoke from the grills.”
    Don’t miss out on this opportunity to support great causes while enjoying a fun day of food with your family. The Oklahoma Championship Steak Cook-off runs all day on August 24. Sponsors, volunteers and contestants can register online. A full schedule, registration forms and more information can be found at www.oksteakcookoff.com.

For more information, contact

Oklahoma

Championship Steak Cook-off

 (918) 582-4128

www.oksteakcookoff.com