Best Chef Cook-Off at Lakeview Resort

By Angelee Wiley – WBOY-TV

(my source for Marion County and area news since the Fairmont Times bars free online viewing of its stories, including obituaries)

The 2nd annual Best Chef Cook-Off was at Lakeview Resort Thursday evening. Nine chefs from local restaurants competed for the grand prize of best chef.

"They have just embraced the history. They come out and they cook for history, they cook for their city of Morgantown, and they are very proud to be here," said Chair of the Best Chef Cook-Off Brenda Shinkovich.

Money raised was split between the Friends of the Morgantown History Museum and the Colonel Zackquill Morgan Statue Project.

This year the event was sold out and not everyone could get in.

"We almost sold out last year. Came very close and, like I said, we had a lot more tickets we could have sold but we didn't have the space because the room isn't big enough," said Morgantown Museum Commission Chair Pamela Ball.

Shinkovich said "There isn't enough history preservation in Morgantown especially and especially with Zackquill Morgan being my great-great-great-great-grandfather, I definitely want more Morgan in Morgantown."

More than 200 people tasted the foods and judg who they thought was the best chef in Morgantown.

Volunteers from the Champion Training Academy helped sell tickets and provide information.

"While we're here we've been taking in tickets, we've been selling 50/50 tickets here this evening. Just mainly going around making sure everyone's okay," said CTA Coach Rylee Roy.

In two years nearly all the funds needed for Zackquill Morgan Statue, under construction, has been raised.

Next year the cook-off will be an annual event put on by the Friends of the Morgantown History Museum.

Unfortunately, there was no report on who won the dang thing.