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BY SHARON HARRIS-ZLOTNICK
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
Love to cook? Love to eat? You can do both if selected as a contestant on the zany new "Taste of Emeril's" Cooking Challenge. Through Nov. 12, the contest and cooking demonstration takes place several times a week in the Circus Maximus Theater at Caesars Atlantic City.
The premise is simple ... six members from the audience are selected to compete onstage at two fully interactive cooking stations. At first, they are divided into two groups of three. Throughout the show, four teammates are ultimately eliminated. The final two vie for the grand prize.
Contestants are encouraged under the "watchful" eye of Emeril Lagasse, the renowned celebrity chef with multiple dining sites throughout the U.S. While not actually present, he speaks to the audience throughout the 70-minute program via a large video screen.
Chef Ralph Pagano, the host of the travel/cooking show called "Pressure Cook," supervises the action on the stage. Those who love to cook may learn a thing or two from Pagano as he offers simple cooking tips. Lagasse fans will enjoy imitating their hero when they yell his famous "bam" reaction at appropriate times.Marc Summers, host of "Unwrapped" and a veteran of numerous other television programs, will appear through November 1. Travel Channel host Mark DeCarlo will take over the emcee duties for the show from Nov. 3 to its close. The audience participation also includes selecting several people to watch the activity from dining tables on stage. It is totally impromptu, and no one knows what to expect from those up on the stage or in the audience.
Contestants vie for prizes by creating different dishes that use a variety of cooking techniques. Pagano chooses the winner and the runner-up, who each win gift certificates and prizes to restaurants in Caesars and the adjacent Pier Shops at Caesars complex. Everyone involved receives something for participating.
In the theater lobby following the program, the audience is treated to an already prepared sample version of the dish that the contestants cooked on stage. Who knows, a future famous chef may be lurking in the crowd, ready to showcase his or her great talents. It could be you.
The "Taste of Emeril's" Cooking Challenge is on stage through Thursday, November 12. Performances are at 2 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday; Thursdays at 7 p.m. Special shows are scheduled for 7 p.m., Friday, November 6 and Saturday, November 7. Tickets are $35 and are available through Ticketmaster at 1-800-736-1420 or online at ticketmaster.com.
