American Public Television, a sponsor of Create TV, recently hosted a cooking competition inviting home cooks and professional chefs to submit a two-minute video demonstrating a favorite cooking tip or recipe. So naturally, I auditioned. Participants competed for a $1000 grand prize to finance the completion of a 10-episode web series to appear on CreateTV.com.  Just this week, the winners were announced! I’m sad to say,  my video was not selected, but what an opportunity it was. I’d like to congratulate the Grand Prize Winner, Jamie Isobe from Brooklyn, New York. It’s no wonder he won…his video is killer and mouthwatering! Job well done and way to go, Jamie.

Despite the outcome, I’m excited to share my how-to audition video: “Holy Guacamole: A Lesson in Avocados.” Thanks for watching! You can also get my go-to guacamole recipe here.

Losing is no fun, but every time I try and fail, I’m made better. I learn so much from participating in these auditions, and competing keeps my skills sharp. 😉 After all, I’m no stranger to chasing my dreams–remember My Taste of Hollywood and my recent announcement about culinary school? I’m going to keep calm and carry on cooking, while I focus on this sentiment from Thomas Edison — “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

You can check out all the winners of the Create Cooking Challenge here.

New to Some Kinda Good?

Georgia native Rebekah Faulk Lingenfelser is a freelance writer, entertainer and food enthusiast who writes and speaks about her love of good food and the Coastal South. A Season 2 Contestant on ABC’s “The Taste,” she is the former Statesboro Herald food columnist and past host of the television program “Statesboro Cooks.” She has appeared regularly as Celebrity Chef at the Statesboro Main Street Farmers’ Market and written as a guest blogger for Visit Savannah and The Local Palate. In addition, her work is published in Moments magazine and Connect Statesboro. Her culinary accomplishments are recognized in two publications: She is a featured alumna in Georgia Southern Magazine(Spring ’14) and the “Go Girl!” in Moments magazine (March 2104), a tabloid for moms and modern women. Lingenfelser will begin the Culinary Arts Associate Degree Program at Savannah Technical College this summer. To learn more, visit RebekahFaulk.wix.com/RebekahFaulk.