Credit: The Chris Cavanaugh. Celebrity Chef Carlos Brown took part in the inaugural Christmas Kid’s Cookie Bake Off at the Citadel Mall on Saturday, December 19th. The event was hosted by Grammy-Award-Winning Gospel Artist Jarell Smalls and ABC News 4 Anchor Leah Uko.
Featured in the Smithsonian African-American Museum, Chef Brown, a Charleston native, wanted to teach the importance of hospitality as an art to children in his own community. Kids from ages six to 16 competed in a friendly baking competition to showcase their creative skills for the tastiest and most decorative Christmas cookie before an 11-judge panel. Notable judges included former NFL Player Mack Brown, State Representative J.A. Moore and restaurateur John Keener. “We had over 30 kids participate and I know this has been a tough year for them,” Chef Brown said. “The kids participated in groups of six led by other Lowcountry chefs. I wanted to give back and invest in our youth for a fun event that would get kids excited about cooking and bring families together to the table again.”
“It was an amazing event and a memorable day of yummy fun,” said Lisa Summerlin, one of the judges. “All the children will long remember and cherish their fun day. They all took everything very seriously and cooked creatively-presented, delicious cookies.”
This free event was hosted by Brown's nonprofit, C3 International Culinary Camp, Inc., which trains children with hands-on experience in the culinary arts.
