Local Chefs Rally to Promote Benefits of Family Meals

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - April 15, 2014) - Better Together is excited to announce the launch of its fifth anniversary Hands-on Cook-off Contest today with the support of a host of local chefs and media personalities on board to inspire families in BC to get cooking together!

Chef Vikram Vij, Chef Ned Bell, Chef David Robertson, Karen Le Billon and Michael Eckford are among the many notable advocates rallying behind the Hands-on Cook-off contest message. That is: Cooking and eating together brings many important benefits to both kids and adults, and it's fun!

"With this contest, we want to remind families and youth how truly beneficial and how incredibly fun it is to cook together!" says Sydney Massey, one of the creators of Better Together and Director of Nutrition Education at the BC Dairy Association. "Research shows that when families cook and eat together, kids gain many valuable benefits- including better grades in school, better health, improved mental health, and better overall social adaptability."

"Some of the best childhood memories I have are of time spent with my family in the kitchen, bonding over food," says contest judge, Chef Ned Bell, Executive Chef at Vancouver's Four Seasons Hotel. "Today's parents may find themselves busier and more time crunched than ever before, so I think that's why we need to regroup around food - cooking in the kitchen together - as often as we can!"

"This is a fun, creative contest that inspires kids to take charge in their family kitchen and reminds busy families just how important it is to do so. I can't wait to watch the videos that kids, parents and teens come up with this year!" says Annemarie Templeman Kluit, Founder of yoyomama.ca.

Enter the Contest:

From April 15 until May 15^th any BC resident can enter the Hands-on Cook-off. Simply grab a friend or relative and create a home video cooking show in three minutes or less. Videos must include two or more people preparing a recipe together… and having fun! Full contest details, including sample videos and where to upload, can be found on the contest site: http://bettertogetherbc.ca/contest

Prizes:

Several cash prizes of $1000 and $500 will be awarded in different categories to individuals and schools. Total prizes up for grabs are valued at over $4000. Full prizing details can be found here: http://bettertogetherbc.ca/contest/page/prizes-awards

Judges

Contest submissions will be judged by a panel of experts that includes:

Chef Ned Bell

[www.fourseasons.com]

Michael Eckford

[www.cknw.com]

Chef David Robertson

[www.dirtyapron.com]

Kia Robertson

[www.todayiatearainbow.com]

Annemarie Templeman Kluit

[www.yoyomama.ca]

Enter the Hands-on Cook-off: http://bettertogetherbc.ca/contest

About Better Together

Better Together, http://bettertogetherbc.ca, is an active online community forum, designed to celebrate family meals, cooking, and trying new recipes. We exist because eating together, whether as a family or other group, offers many health and social benefits for both children and adults - including better nutrition, school performance and social adjustment. Find out more:

Twitter: @bettertogether

Facebook: /bettertogetherbc

Pinterest: bbettertogether

#handsoncookoff