Winner will appear in Taste of Home magazine, cook with Carla Hall, and take home $25,000

Lucas Klein

To further my non-profit community kitchen project to provide prepared food and supplemental groceries to people facing food insecurities.

Currently 3

in their Group

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You decide who will appear in Taste of Home magazine, and win $25,000!

Voting for the TOP 10 ends Thursday the 25th of June at 7PM PDT

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What is your signature dish?

My slow-braised BBQ beef combines complex flavors with comforting, home-style cooking. The sauce is sweet, savory, and deeply umami, served on homemade sweet challah rolls with thick deli-style Thousand Island and pickled slaw. It’s one of the first recipes I learned early in my culinary career, and over time I’ve refined and elevated it into something uniquely my own.

Who is your culinary inspiration?

My earliest culinary inspirations were my aunt, grandmother, and great-grandmother, whose love of cooking shaped my passion for food and hospitality. Today, I’m inspired by chefs and home cooks alike who honor their cultural heritage while pushing creativity forward. I believe food and culture are deeply intertwined, and my dream is to one day create a restaurant that blends bold, complex flavors and traditions from around the world into something uniquely personal.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would use the $25,000 to further my culinary education through travel and hands-on experiences exploring food cultures around the world. I’d also invest in growing my community kitchen project into something sustainable and impactful — providing hot meals and supplemental groceries to help fight food insecurity in my local community with real passion and purpose.

James Beard Foundation

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