Great Aussie Family Cook Off

EVERYDAY "FAMILY COOKS" WANTED FOR NEW TV SHOW"The Coles Great Aussie Cook Off"

The search to find Australia's greatest "family" of cooks kicked off this week with nominations opening for everyday Aussies to audition next month for a new reality television cooking show.

The Coles Great Aussie Cook Off, Australia's first "family" cooking competition, will showcase the country's cultural diversity in the Channel Nine reality cooking show with a difference - it's designed for everyday "family" cooks, NOT chefs.

There is a strict policy barring chefs and people with culinary qualifications entering the "competition", which is expected to be more a celebration of Australian culinary skills and passion for food than a fierce contest.

Each "family" must consist of four people and it does not have to be a traditional "family", but rather four people who love to cook together - it could be mum, dad and the children; grandparents, mother and daughter; flatmates or any combination of four family and/or friends.

Entry is online at www.colescookoff.com.au for the eight-part Channel Nine series, created by Sydney-based Brand New Media, and set to air from October through December on Sunday nights at 5pm.

Fifty "families" chosen from the online applications received between now and 5pm, July 3, will be invited to audition for the eight spots next month at five capital city shopping centres:
Saturday, July 11 - Westfield Carousel - Perth
Thursday, July 16 - Westfield Marion - Adelaide
Thursday, July 23 - Westfield Southland - Melbourne
Thursday, July 30 - Westfield Parramatta - Sydney
Saturday, August 1 - Westfield Chermside - Brisbane

Brand New Media Director of Entertainment Damien Bray said now, more than ever, there is a renewed interest among Australians to entertain family and friends with simple home cooking because people are eating out less with the pressure on family budgets. .

"This will be a really unique cooking competition where families have the opportunity to demonstrate their fantastic skills and individual cooking style," Bray said.

"The competition is about real people who have a love for cooking for family and friends. Each of the family teams will be given some simple common ingredients and we'll see what they create with these in their own unique style."

To complement the common ingredients, the families will be given a budget to purchase all the additional ingredients they need in Coles.

"Simple home-cooked meal ideas reflect what consumers are interested in," Bray said. "This should be a fun and inspiring competition where real families showcase their skill and passion for cooking.

"We're really looking forward to seeing what the families create with the simple fresh ingredients we provide."