COOKING SCHOOL RESUMES

Southern Living Magazine will bring its unique brand of cooking and entertaining to Cape Girardeau April 30.

The cooking school is expected to attract more than 3,000 people to the Show Me Center. Tickets go on sale Thursday.

Catherine Hall of Southern Living was in Cape Girardeau Tuesday to work out arrangements for the show, which is co-sponsored by the Southeast Missourian, Schnucks and the Cape Girardeau County Area Medical Alliance.

"Southern Living has been sponsoring these cooking shows for more than 20 years," said Hall. "We bring a lot of the ideas in the magazine to life on stage, from recipes to entertaining ideas."

Hall was quick to point out the show is not limited to women. Each year, more men attend the shows, she said.

The Cape Girardeau cooking school will be one of 40 the magazine will sponsor across the nation this year.

Tickets are $3, and may be purchased for the 10 a.m. or 7 p.m. show.

Tickets will be on sale at all Southeast Missourian offices, 301 and 430 Broadway in Cape Girardeau and 108 S. Hope in Jackson; the Scott County Signal in Chaffee, The Banner-Press in Marble Hill; Schnucks at 19 S. Kingshighway; and from auxiliary members.

The medical alliance will award all proceeds from the show to area charities.

Karen Retter, alliance president, said this is the largest service project her organization has undertaken. The 75 members are spouses of Cape Girardeau County physicians and dentists.

"We're hoping to raise between $6,000 and $10,000 for local charities," said Retter.

All those who attend the show are also asked to bring a canned food item. Operation Food Basket began in 1990 as part of Southern Living's 25th anniversary celebration. Since the program began, more than 308,000 pounds of food have been collected.

The cooking school that brings in the most canned food will be recognized, said Hall. Several show participants drawn at random will receive a 3-4 night stay in a bed and breakfast, 5-piece place setting of China, and Southern Living subscriptions.

Kim Mitchell of the Southeast Missourian is serving as the show organizer.

She said each presentation will be two hours in length. But the ticket also will allow admission to about 80 exhibitors during the day. A wide variety of goods and services will be on display from area florists, restaurants, food distributors, automotive and much more.

All attendees will also receive a gift bag filled with coupons, gifts, gadgets and a Cooking School Cookbook from Southern Living with more than 150 recipes.

"This is the first time in a long time that a show such as this has come to our area," said Wally Lage, publisher of the Southeast Missourian. "We are proud to be able to bring a show of this magnitude to our community."

Southern Living is the largest regional magazine of its kind with a circulation of more than 12 million. The notion started as a column in the Progressive Farmer magazine, and grew into its own publication in 1965.

The magazine focuses on four distinct features: home, garden, travel and food.

For more information about the show, persons can contact Mitchell at 335-6611, Ext. 231.