Epic Chef contestants and judges at the Epicurean Hotel in Tampa, Florida on July 17, 2025. Credit: Photo by Kate Scaglione c/o Feeding Tampa Bay

It’s been a hellish year for Tampa Bay’s restaurant scene, but local chefs have a chance to cook for a hell of a lot of cash this summer.

Feeding Tampa Bay is still accepting applications for the 10th anniversary of its Epic Chef competition where $10,000, the Marty Blitz Award, and a custom knife roll will go to the chef who battles their way to the end of the “Chopped”-style cooking showdown.

Prize money used to be set at $5,000, with four chefs in the running, but in another 10th anniversary twist, the nonprofit expanded the field to include six chefs who will create a dish for guests to vote and taste on during a kickoff event set for Monday, June 23.

After the voting round, the top four chefs will then move and go head-to-head in their semifinal rounds (July 14 & July 21) before winners meet each other at the grand finale once set to go down on Monday, July 28 inside South Tampa’s Epicurean Theatre.

Getting in the running for Feeding Tampa Bay’s Epic Chef 2025 is easy. All chefs have to do is complete the application, which will ask a bit about the chef’s background, cooking experience, specialties and their feeling towards cooking with mystery ingredients in front of a large, live, audience.

Interested chefs should have a photo, plus shots of three dishes ready to share; they should also be ready to tell the selection committee what winning the competition and $10,000 prize would mean.

Applications, which will take about 20 minutes to complete, are due by Sunday, April 13.

Chefs interested in competing must cook in one of the 10 counties serviced by Feeding Tampa Bay, be at least 18 years of age and be available from 3 p.m.-10 p.m. on each event date (June 23, July 14, July 21, July 28—all Mondays).

Readers are invited to submit their own events to Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s things to do calendar.

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