The Cook-Off Club is a group for those of us to who love to cook and sample other's cooking, and don't mind a little friendly competition. The concept is to host a variety of themed cook-offs that give us a chance to expand our skills and showcase some favorite recipes! You don't need to know how to cook a dish prior to signing up for a cook-off. In fact, every cook-off is a chance to come up with exciting variations on a classic dish! You don't have to participate in the competition to attend a meetup (judges are always needed), but obviously its a lot more fun if you join in with your dish. Dishes will be ranked on flavor, originality and presentation, with awards going to best in category and best overall dish. Winners will get bragging rights and I do have a plan for regular competitors to display their status in the group! I want this to be an active group, so attendance will be monitored semi-regularly and inactive members will be asked to come back when they have more time. The meetup with have a minimum of three meetings per month - two scheduled cook-offs and one meet 'n greet for members to hang out and get to know each other. In addition, there will be ad-hoc meetups related to everything epicurian, from knife-skills workshops to wine tasting to learning how to grow our own herbs or how cheese is made. I want this to be a group for us foodies to learn and expand our craft.