HUNTSVILLE, Ala (WHNT) — The Rocket Chef Competition will return to Huntsville on Monday! It’s an event intended to showcase the culinary talents of local chefs, all while raising money for a great cause.

Combining the love of food and the desire to help others, four Huntsville-based chefs will showcase their talents on stage cooking and competing in a timed event using mystery ingredients.

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“I’m looking forward to cooking on the fly, let’s see what’s in the basket, and let’s go with it,” said Chef Bill Harden.

Harden is one of the chefs who will compete for the Rocket City Chef Title and he says what helps make the event special is knowing it’s heading toward a good cause.

“It’s wonderful to do anything to help the community,” Harden told News 19. “This is such a great charity. I had a stepson with special needs so it’s a cause near and dear to my heart and I’m excited to help in any way.”

Merrimack Hall Performing Arts Center’s Founder Debra Jenkins tells News 19 that their programs serve children and adults with special needs. The competition has raised more than $250,000 toward those initiatives since it began in 2014.

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“We try to engage people with special needs in every facet of our community that we can,” Jenkins said. “We believe that every person regardless of their abilities or disabilities deserves the right to participate in the arts.”

For the first time, this year’s competition will feature monitors on every stove so the audience can enjoy the action while the chefs are cooking.

Some of the Huntsville-based chefs were in attendance for Sunday’s competition rehearsal including Adrian Gilstrap who is looking forward to sharing the fun alongside his peers.

“I’ve been in the kitchen since I was five, so I’m just going to get up here and do me. I’m going to have fun and enjoy the moment, this is like a dream come true,” Gilstrap said.

The competition will take place Monday at Merrimack Hall Performing Arts Center in Huntsville and the event is sold out but can be live-streamed on Merrimack Hall’s website.

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