Photos of last year’s Cooking for Kids Competition courtesy of Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach.

On Thursday, November 20 from 6:00PM to 7:00PM, former and current Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach patients, paired with local Long Beach chefs, will join together for a heartwarming evening of food, fundraising and friendly competition. Dressed in matching aprons and chef’s hats, wielding spatulas and cooking utensils, young cancer patients and their “celebrity” chef teammates will work together to garner votes (and dollars) from an enthusiastic crowd at the 5th Annual Cooking for Kids Competition.

Local expert judges will be convinced one way or another by both the food and the energy put out by each team, while the Cooking for Kids reigning champions will return to declare the winner of this year’s competition and appoint the new “Ultimate Chef.” An eye-catching presentation and an attempt at wooing the crowd are just a couple of the variables that will sway attendees toward one dish or another. Patients will rally with their teams and attempt to draw in attendees by interacting with guests.

Patients such as Luke, who is battling Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Sofia, who is being treated for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, and George, who was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, will be ready and waiting at the event to place the final garnish on their team’s plates.

The “celebrity” chefs will include Kevin Daley and Ben Cary, Suzie Price and Jonathan Schnack, Ron and Nancy Piazza, Elizabeth Borsting and Terri Henry, Charles and Terese Parkin, Charlie Beirne and Veronica Quintero, Commanders Paul LeBaron and Richard Rocchi, and Alex and Nancy Cherin. Each chef has an established background with the Long Beach community and strives to make it a better place by taking the opportunity to give back in any way they can.

Money raised in the spirit of appointing this year’s “Ultimate Chef” will support the patient and family support groups and activities dedicated to supporting kids and young adults diagnosed with cancer. The Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Oncology Program at the Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Center at Miller Children’s is one of those programs, providing traditional care services unique to young ones undergoing cancer treatments, including fertility preservation, support groups and access to resources.

Tickets for the event are still available; learn more about the celebrity chefs or place your online vote here. Call (562) 933-1670 for more information. The 5th Annual Cooking for Kids Competition will be held at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center in the Promenade Ballroom Lobby at 300 Ocean Blvd.

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