‘Concerned Men’ to cook up college scholarships in Merced

An annual cooking competition that helps fund college scholarships for local young people will take over Merced City Hall on Sunday.

Concerned Men Cook is a 25-year-old competition overseen by nonprofit Multicultural Connections, said Denard Davis, one of the competition’s organizers. About 40 cooks are expected to participate in seven different categories.

Tickets are $25 per couple to taste the food entered in the contest, which is set for 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at City Hall, 678 W. 18th St.

Categories cover all the courses of a meal, with contests in appetizers, salads, meats, desserts and more.

About 300 people turn out annually to eat the competitors’ prepared dishes. Davis said businesses and nonprofits sponsor the cooks, who also pay into the scholarships.

Each year, the effort awards a $500 scholarship to each of Merced Union High School District’s traditional high schools – Atwater, Buhach Colony, Golden Valley, Livingston and Merced. El Capitan High does not have a senior class yet.

Helping the underprivileged has long been the goal for the organizers. “We wanted to assist some of the kids, you know, who financially are unable to go to college,” Davis said. “This was our way of providing some of the assistance.”

Competitors come from around the city, Davis said, so the ethnic recipes are wide-ranging.

Organizers recommend that those interested in tasting the food buy tickets before Sunday.

For more on the competition, or to buy tickets, call Yvonne Davis at (209) 383-0115.

This story was originally published April 22, 2015 at 5:31 PM with the headline "‘Concerned Men’ to cook up college scholarships in Merced."