Better Together Turns up the Heat with the Summer 2012 Hands-on Cook-off

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - July 9, 2012) - Better Together, has just announced that the third annual Hands-on Cook-off Contest is back for Summer 2012! This BC-wide contest, which runs from July 9 to September 3, invites everyone in BC to grab a young friend or relative and create a home video cooking show to celebrate making and eating meals together.

"The Hands-on Cook-off contest is the perfect summer activity for BC families," explains Sydney Massey, one of the creators of Better Together and Director of Nutrition Education at the BC Dairy Association. "This fun, simple contest is our way of reminding BC about the benefits to all people of cooking and eating together."

"One of the best things we did with and for our daughters was to teach them how to cook," says Meeru Dhalwala, Contest Judge, best-selling author and co-owner of Viji's and Rangoli restaurants. "Often on busy work days the girls will start with doing all the prep work for dinner and I'll finish up the cooking. Cooking together has brought us together as a family team; there isn't a more valuable skill I could have taught my children."

"The Family Dinner Movement continues to be a newsworthy topic and it's no wonder why," explains Contest Judge Karen Le Billon, author of French Kids Eat Everything. "Research shows that family meals help children in many ways--including improved physical and mental health, and school performance. This fun contest is our way to remind people of the real value of family meals."

Contest Submissions

The rules are simple! Contest submissions can be made by any BC resident anytime from July 9 to September 3, 2012. Videos must include two generations cooking together and be no longer than three minutes. There are no tech skills required- videos can even be made using phone video cameras. Full contest details, including where to upload videos, can be found on the contest site: http://bettertogetherbc.ca/contest

Judges

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

Karen Le Billon, author, French Kids Eat Everything
[http://karenlebillon.com]

Meeru Dhalwala, co-owner of Viji's and Rangoli restaurants, and author of two best-selling cookbooks
[www.vijs.ca]

Kia Robertson, Creator of Today I Ate a Rainbow
[www.todayiatearainbow.com]

Bob Kronbauer, Founder, Vancouver is Awesome
[http://vancouverisawesome.com]

Prizes

Prizes for first and second place are $1500 and $1000 gift certificates to any of the Overwaitea Food Group stores* (or winners can opt for cash amounts of $1125 and $750, respectively). A People's Choice Winner will also be selected based on number of votes from the public and will receive a $500 gift certificate to any of the Overwaitea Food Group stores or $375 cash.

First-time entrants will be entered into a draw for one Genesis Titan Silver Starter Kit soda maker and we'll be doing a Random Draw prize for one Kitchenaid Artisan Stand Mixer.

*Stores include Save-On-Foods, Overwaitea Foods, Urban Fare, Cooper's Foods, PriceSmart Foods, and more.

Enter this contest! 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. Our vision is to reconnect food and fun in the kitchen!

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.

Better Together is a partnership between BC Ministry of Health and BC Dairy Association.