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Plano cook wins in SouperBowl Challenge
Submitted Photo
Michelle May O’Neal (far right) was named the Souper Amateur winner of the poultry category at the SouperBowl Challenge that took place at the NorthPark Center last week. Also pictured are, (left to right) Chef Mynetta Cockerell, Chef Sharin Van Meter and celebrity Chef Dean Fearing.
By Kim Nguyen, Staff Writer
The Young Chefs Academy of Plano was not the only hometown team to compete in last week’s SouperBowl Challenge at the NorthPark Center in Dallas.
The SouperBowl Challenge, a week of soup-themed culinary events hosted by NorthPark Center, supported Dallas Junior Forum’s charities and called for amateur chefs around the North Texas region to submit their original recipes for soup.
Michelle May-O’Neal of Plano entered her original home recipes in two of the five categories and came home with two medals.
“I really made the recipe up as I was preparing for the competition,” May-O’Neal said. “I love King Ranch Chicken casserole and wanted to try a soup-version. And I knew that southwestern food appeals to Chef Dean Fearing, who was one of the judges.”
May-O’Neal won a soup tureen, an embroidered apron and gift certificates to Kroger and Corner Bakery.
The amateur chef from Plano also won third place in the vegetable category with her Hearty Corn Chowder, which is loosely based on her mother-in-law’s recipe for corn chowder.
“About six months ago, I started asking her for the recipe because it’s the recipe she cooked for my husband when he was growing up,” May-O’Neal said. “It’s her secret recipe so she wouldn’t give it up. I asked her to show me how to make it and I used some of her techniques and ingredients.”
Not having entered in a cooking contest since she was a child, May-O’Neal received an e-mail from the Milestone Culinary Arts Center in Dallas about the competition.
“I don’t even know how I got on that mailing list, but it was worth a shot,” May-O’Neal said. “Then my friends started forwarding me the same e-mail and encouraged me to sign up.”
But that wasn’t the only sign that May-O’Neal had urging her to enter the SouperBowl Challenge.
“A little while before that, my friends and I had a soup-tasting open house at my house,” May-O’Neal said. “We all had cooked four or five soups and hosted a little party for other friends.”
May-O’Neal says her special ingredients are spices that she orders from a special-order spice company.
“The spices at the grocery store could easily be six months old or more,” May-O’Neal said. “The spices we buy are fresher and more pungent and will really give that extra flair to a recipe.”
A divorce attorney by day and amateur chef by night, cooking is one of May-O’Neal’s many passions.
“I’m surrounded by stressful situations all day and cooking keeps me grounded,” May-O’Neal said.
Winning a category at the SouperBowl Challenge has opened the doors to the competitive culinary world for May-O’Neal.
“My mom enjoys entering similar competitions and really encouraged me to join the SouperBowl,” she said. “Since the challenge, we’ve called the State Fair cooking competition judges to prepare to enter in those and are considering submitting our recipes in a Food Network contest.”
The SouperBowl Challenge was a week-long event at the NorthPark Center, which included an amateur competition with live judging by celebrity chef Dean Fearing, cooking demonstrations, tasting opportunities and more. In addition to cooking demonstrations and public tastings, the event also included Souped Up Tailgate Scapes, featuring vehicles located throughout NorthPark which are decked out for themed tailgate parties.
Tickets for this event benefited Dallas Junior Forum charities including Ronald McDonald House of Dallas, Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center, Juliette Fowler Homes, Hope’s Door and more.
Contact Kim Nguyen at knguyen@acnpapers.com
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