Hot and Raw, Just Like You Like It

Headlines aren't headlines any more. They're just lures for content crawlers. The more spicy, lurid, dramatic, eye-catching, and stupid they are, the more chance they'll be clicked on.

Why? Because there are no editors any more. When you picked up a newspaper or magazine or book you knew that the contents had passed through the hand of an editor, so you could expect to read something that had some meaning and was somewhat professional. No longer. Now everything is equal and you read whatever happens to catch your eye.

End of rant. I just wanted to let you know about the "Hot Raw Chef" Video Recipe Contest. Disappointed? Hey, with $1800 in prizes it's a happier ending than most of those come-on headlines will ever be.

Here's the press release.

Living Light Culinary Arts Institute, a gourmet raw food teaching facility in Northern California is launching a “Hot Raw Chef” Video Recipe Contest as part of the Living Light Chef Showcase, streaming live August 27-29, 2010. Entries must be 100% raw vegan recipes, with a minimum of 90% raw (never heated over 118 degrees Fahrenheit) ingredients by weight. $1150 Grand Prize includes a Food Styling for Photography Class, taught by Living Light Director Cherie Soria, author of The Raw Food Revolution Diet, and Denise Vivaldo, a professional food stylist and author of How to Start a Home-Based Catering Business. The Grand Prize winner will also earn a place as a featured chef during the event. Runner up receives $450 worth of prizes, and the People’s Choice Award, valued at $250, goes to the aspiring chef who wins the most votes online. A total of more than $1800 in prizes will be awarded.

The contest is open to both professional and amateur chefs who submit a 5 minute video demonstrating an original raw vegan recipe. Entries will be evaluated on presentation, teaching style, recipe quality, and adherence to judging criteria. Deadline for submissions is Midnight June 30, 2010 Pacific Daylight Time. Visit www.HotRawChef.com for contest guidelines and details. ...

The Living Light Chef Showcase will highlight step-by-step demonstrations of healthy, sustainable, earth friendly dishes with a gourmet spin—everything from dairy-free vegan "cheeses" and pates, to appetizers, soups, entrees, breads, crackers, sauces, dips, and incredible desserts. 12 top raw food chefs and one lucky "Hot Raw Chef" Video Recipe Contest winner will translate the flavors of the world into a brand new language.

And now... hot, raw nudes!