The aroma of charcoal-grilled steaks wafted over Pioneer Court on Michigan Avenue last week, attracting curious (and hungry) passersby, as contestants faced off with their favorite beef recipes in the first Meat Board Chicagoland Celebrity Beef Cook-off.
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Because the event, sponsored by the National Live Stock and Meat Board, came just before Mother`s Day, winners donated the $22,000 in prize money in honor of or in memory of their mothers.
First place went to Deloris and Roslyn Jordan, mother and sister of Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan, for Indian beef kebobs with corn. Their $10,000 check went to the Michael Jordan Foundation.
Second prize, $5,000, went to Ray Meyer, former De Paul University basketball coach; and Bill Bradshaw, De Paul athletic director, for a beef filet in Oriental marinade. The Marge Delaney Meyer Scholarship Fund received their check.
City Treasurer Miriam Santos` Carne asada won the $2,500 third prize, which she gave to the Chicago Holiday Meals on Wheels.
Each team`s charity received a minimum of $1,000.
”People need to eat a certain amount of red meat,” said Ann Hunt, a nutritionist who participated in the cook-off with Mary Abbott Hess, American Dietetic Association president. ”It`s very important for women to get the nutrients that are in meat.”