‘Food is my passion.’ How to help Columbus chef reach national competition final

A Columbus chef and caterer has reached the semifinals of a national competition and is asking for your vote to advance to the finals.

Kate Williams, chef, caterer, culinary Instructor, restaurant consultant and owner of The Old School Kitchen, has received enough online votes to reach the semifinals of Favorite Chef 2025.

Williams, who resides in Fort Mitchell, Alabama, told the Ledger-Enquirer she came across the competition on one of her social media feeds, and decided to take a chance.

“I thought, what the heck? What’s the worst that could happen? People tell me no, I’m not their favorite chef, or something happens,” she said, while selling a variety of pastries and breads during the weekly Market Days on Broadway in Columbus.

According to the Favorite Chef website, the competition gives competing chefs the chance to win $25,000, an appearance on the cover of “Taste of Home” magazine, and an exclusive cooking experience with chef and TV personality Carla Hall.

Williams said it’s also a chance to further share her passion for food.

“It would give me a platform to talk about, you know, how I feel about food and what I think it means to humanity as a whole and what it means locally in your community just by supporting a small business,” she said.

She said the money also would allow her to finish a kitchen renovation and expand her business.

You can learn more about Williams and vote for her by clicking here.

Voters can cast one free vote every 24 hours, and they can cast “Donation Votes” at any time. Voting to determine the Final 12 ends May 29 at 7 p.m. PDT.

“If you are inclined and want to donate to the James Beard Foundation, you can purchase more votes in my name for the James Beard Foundation, “ Williams said.

Colossal.org runs the Favorite Chef competition as part of a fundraising campaign on behalf of DTCare, a 501 (c)(3) organization. The Favorite Chef competition also benefits the James Beard Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to “create a more equitable and sustainable future in the restaurant industry.”

This story was originally published May 27, 2025 at 2:56 PM.