2026 Rooted Chef Application
This year’s Rooted theme is Backyard BBQ. Each chef will create a side dish or their own take on a burger for our judges and audience to vote on. Dishes should be approachable and inspire home cooking, with at least 75% of ingredients sourced from the Medical Lake Farmers Market.
Apply by May 22nd for a chance to compete in Rooted: Backyard BBQ! All applicants will hear from our team by June 1st, regardless of selection.
Location:
The Farmers Market takes place on Lake Street. (Downtown Medical Lake)
Dates:
Farmers Market: 9am-3pm
Rooted competition: 11am-1pm
Chef Requirements:
We invite professional chefs from the Spokane/West Plains region who meet the following
criteria to apply for Rooted:
- Have a current TFE (Temporary Food Establishment) permit issued by the Spokane County Health District no later than 30 days prior to event (July 1)
- OR a caterer permit issued by the Spokane County Health District. Permit must be at
least one year old, have had an inspection and are in good standing with SRHD. - Have a current food handler card by issued by the Spokane County Health District
- Each applicant will pay a non-refundable application fee of $25
The Medical Lake Farmers Market will provide:
- 6’ table with plastic tablecloth
- 4 oz. boats for your 2 oz. samples
- paper towels
- 10’x10’ pop up tent and weights, two chairs
Questions? Please email us: [email protected]
2026 Rooted Vendor Application
This year’s Rooted theme is Backyard BBQ. Each chef will create a side dish or their own take on a burger for our judges and audience to vote on. Dishes should be approachable and inspire home cooking, with at least 75% of ingredients sourced from the Medical Lake Farmers Market and our preferred local farmers and food producers list.
Each chef will receive a list of proteins and in-season vegetables (subject to plant readiness) that will be provided to them for the competition. All other ingredients are the responsibility of each chef.
Chefs will prepare their dishes fresh before the challenge and plate 250 two-ounce samples on- site for judging. Each chef is responsible for maintaining proper hot or cold temperatures. The Spokane Regional Health District will conduct an on-site inspection prior to the competition.
The application window for Rooted 2026 has closed. Please follow us on social media for next year’s competition, and we hope to see you on August 1st for Rooted!
Interested in getting involved?
Our team is a group of Medical Lake citizens and volunteers that are passionate about seeing healthy growth and engagement in our community. If you’re interested in getting involved we have a wide variety of opportunities available.Â
