Winner will appear in Taste of Home magazine, cook with Carla Hall, and take home $25,000
Single mom from a small town who built a food truck at 28 and raised a daughter who’s now 16 and cooking beside me. This dream is ours.
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Receive Text UpdatesMy signature dish is Baja fish tacos. Crispy beer-battered cod tucked into warm tortillas with fresh slaw, house-made sauces, and bold flavors that are simple but unforgettable. It’s the dish that built my food truck and the one friends and family request over and over. It represents everything I love about cooking—fresh ingredients, big flavor, and bringing people together around food made with heart.
Who is your culinary inspiration?My culinary inspiration started when I was 19, when I dated a well-known chef in Seattle. Watching him work and create at that level sparked a passion in me that never left—I’ve been inspired ever since. My love language is acts of service, so cooking for people is how I show love and feel most fulfilled. For me, food is connection, care, and a way to turn everyday moments into something meaningful and memorable.
What would you do with the $25,000?I would open a small restaurant with my 16-year-old daughter. We share the same passion for cooking, and she is already working as a cook at a high-end restaurant in our town. This opportunity would allow us to build something meaningful together—a family-run restaurant rooted in hard work, creativity, and great food. It would be the beginning of a dream we could grow side by side.
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