Do you have a favorite recipe that friends and family members request you make over and over again?
Consider entering that recipe and others in Leader Publications’ annual Holiday Recipe Contest, which kicks off today, Oct. 1.
Cooks of any age who live in Jefferson County, Eureka and Wildwood are invited to send in their favorite recipes for the five categories: appetizer, soup, salad, side dish and dessert. Readers are welcome to submit a recipe in any or all of the categories, up to a maximum of five entries per reader.
The deadline for submitting recipes is 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30.
To be eligible for the contest, entries must include the following information:
■ The submitter’s full name and address.
■ A daytime telephone number.
■ Complete instructions for the recipe.
■ The category in which the recipe is submitted.
■ Any information about where the recipe came from and why it’s special.
Judges will choose the top recipe in each category, and each of those five finalists will win $50 cash. Then, those five recipes will be prepared and served at the Leader Holiday Dinner, set for Saturday, Dec. 12, at the Jefferson College Field House in Hillsboro.
Those who attend the dinner will vote for their favorite of the five dishes, and that winner will receive an additional $250.
Recipes that are family favorites, which use ingredients in novel ways or have a history or story attached are preferred. Recipes taken directly from websites or cooking shows will not score well.
Since the dinner’s inception in 2014, it has been a collaboration between Jefferson College and Leader Publications, raising money for the Jefferson College Foundation. The money typically is used to send Jefferson College Area Technical School (ATS) students to culinary competitions.
The winning recipes and as many more as space permits will be published in a Holiday Recipe special section on Wednesday, Nov. 25.
Recipes may be submitted by email at news@myleaderpaper.com; by mail at P.O. Box 159, Festus, 63028; or in person at 503 N. Second St. in Festus.
For those who look forward to the Leader Holiday Dinner every year, tickets are on sale. This is the first year for the dinner to be held on a Saturday.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m.
Standard tickets cost $25 per person and include a six-course meal, music, food demonstrations, and a chance to sample and purchase the college culinary department’s infused vinaigrettes.
VIP tickets that include all of that, plus three drinks (beer or wine) from the Villa Antonio Winery in the Hillsboro area, are available for $45 each. To purchase a ticket, go to bit.ly/Leader-Dinner-2026.
Peggy Scott, Leader Publications publisher, said it is best to purchase tickets early because the dinner sells out pretty quickly. The field house can accommodate about 250 guests.
The college’s culinary students will prepare and serve the dinner, which will include a main dish chosen by the culinary department and the five winning recipes from the Holiday Recipe Contest. There will be door prizes that are made by ATS students.
Last year’s winners of the recipe contest were Anna Wilsman of Arnold for croquetas de jamon (appetizer); Ahlam Abdeljabba of Eureka for red lentil soup (soup); Cheryl Wegener of Festus for bacon and pear salad with parmesan garlic dressing (salad); Rob Opdenbrouw of Imperial for sweet potato, cranberry and fresh rosemary hash (side dish); and Dean Sharpless of Hillsboro for java joe caramel cake. Guests picked Wilsman as the overall winner.