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'Cooking for Kids' in Englewood

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Posted Oct 16, 2013
By ERIN MOORE SUN CORRESPONDENT

ENGLEWOOD

— Linda Bonwill has grown her lifelong love of cooking into a contest-winning craft. The Englewood mother of four prepares award-winning recipes for her family from the kitchen she refers to as her office. 

"It's my domain," she said. "It's where I escape to." 

Inspired by the movie "Julie & Julia" that followed a woman blogging about cooking meals from Julia Child's cookbook, Bonwill began a blog chronicling her own recipes from her desk and workspace set up in the kitchen. With a flair for combining traditional fare into one unique dish, she began entering recipe contests online. 

"I like creating," Bonwill said. "That's my niche." 

It was in her "office" that Bonwill put a twist on a homespun favorite that would take first place in the side dish category at the World Food Championships in Las Vegas last year. Winning an online contest for Just a Pinch Recipes with her cobb potato salad, Bonwill qualified for the Las Vegas competition and went on to beat out more than 400 professional and home cooks. She ultimately took fifth place overall in the World Food Championship winning over $10,000 and being invited to compete again this November. 

A newspaper story covering Bonwill's success caught the eye of Jim Laurent last year as he was winding down from the annual Big Brothers Big Sisters Cooking for Kids fundraiser. Laurent, an avid supporter and high school mentor for BBBS of the Sun Coast, thought Bonwill would be a great addition to the chefs offering samples of their signature recipes at the event. 

This year's Englewood Chefs Cooking for Kids is scheduled for 6 p.m. Oct. 26 at the Boca Royale Golf and Country Club, 1601 Englewood Road in Englewood. Guests are invited to taste sample-sized servings from 20 different local amateur and professional chefs. Proceeds benefit one-on-one mentoring for children and teens at risk. 

Laurent's strong belief in the success of the program drives him to seek out participants willing to donate their time and resources to the event. Serving as bartender at previous events, Laurent joked that he would valet cars if it meant raising more money for BBBS. With over a 92 percent success rate of teens enrolled in the mentor program graduating from high school, Laurent said the money raised will directly benefit Englewoodarea kids. 

Bonwill said she was happy to use her talent to contribute to the event. 

"I love the idea of helping out the community," she said. "It's something I could do, and what's it going to cost me?" 

Bonwill has continued to enter online recipe contests, winning numerous prizes ranging from T-shirts and aprons to groceries for a year. At this year's Cooking for Kids, she plans to put her own spin on lasagna. 

Tickets for the Englewood Chefs Cooking for Kids are $30 per person. The event will offer live music and a cash bar as guests enjoy a large variety of local cuisine. 

For tickets or more information, call 941-488-4009, or visit www. bbbssun.org.
SUN PHOTO BY ERIN MOORE Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast volunteer and mentor Jim Laurent has recruited award-winning local chef Linda Bonwill to participate in this year's Englewood Chefs Cooking for Kids fundraiser starting at 6 p.m. Oct. 26 at the Boca Royale Golf and Country Club, 1601 Englewood Road, Englewood. Bonwill and other culinary wizards will be providing samples of their signature dishes at the event. Tickets are $30. To order tickets, for more information, call 941-488-4009, or visit www.bbbssun. org. 


PHOTO PROVIDED Some chefs from last year's Englewood Chefs Cooking for Kids fundraiser. This year's event is at 6 p.m. Oct. 26 at the Boca Royale Golf and Country Club, 1601 Englewood Road, Englewood. Tickets are $30. To order tickets, for more information, call 941-488-4009 or visit www.bbbssun.org. 

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