HMS Host has named the finalists for its annual O’Hare Cooking Competition – taking place at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) on Mar 22. There was a worldwide competition of recipe and cooking demonstration (via recorded video) submissions a few weeks ago, and now the Final Five have been named.

If you’re traveling through ORD on Mar 22, make sure to stop by Terminal 2 and check out who gets chopped and who wins the grand prize in HMS Host’s annual live cooking competition finale, in partnership with the Chicago Department of Aviation. The grand prize winner of the “Channel Your Inner Chef” competition will have his or her recipe featured on an O’Hare restaurant menu, and also win airfare and a trip to attend the HMSHost-sponsored James Beard Awards in Chicago in May.

The five finalists will compete in a 30-minute cooking challenge to create an original dish from a number of ingredients revealed to them just prior to the start of the event. They were judged on several criteria, including: cooking technique, recipe, presentation, form, and showmanship.

Here’s a peek at the O’Hare Cooking Competition top 5 submissions, slated to compete in a live cooking demonstration contest on Mar 22 at ORD:

O’Hare Cooking Competition Finalists

1. Tracy Cole from LAX. Watch her cook up a delicious grilled rack of lamb over parmesan creamy rice with an arugula and kale salad. 
2. Shaun Houle from Connecticut. Watch him channel his inner chef by cooking beef short ribs over pasta with butternut squash puree. 
3. Leila Taheri. Watch her create a down-home Southern twist on on Southern-style shrimp and grits.
4. Abhay Thosar from Chicago. Watch him cook some flavorful and inventive chicken burgers.  
5. Mikaela Turner from Kendall College in Chicago. Watch her cook a recipe inspired by the Japanese dish Yakisoba. 

Good luck to all the O’Hare cooking competition finalists on Mar 22, and happy #layovertip.