Seasoned cooks compete in Silver Chef contest at Tucson Chinese Cultural Center

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Five talented chefs, all seniors, went head-to-head in this year's Silver Chef Culinary Competition to see who could create the best dish using native ingredients to Southern Arizona.

All the contestants in Saturday's competition at the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center now live in local senior-and-assisted-living communities. “We have this myth that nursing homes and assisted living have food that isn’t any good,” St. Luke’s CEO Teri Waldman said, "but they make really delicious food and we’re going to see that.”

A panel of entrepreneurs and cooks from local businesses like Rollies, Brother John's and Barista del Barrio judged the contestants' dishes. The culinary showdown also served as a fundraiser for St. Luke’s Home, a senior community for people ages 55 and up who may not have the most secure financial footing.

“We have 64 older adults that live at St. Luke’s Home. The average they pay is about $1,300 per month,” Waldman said. “It costs $3,300 a month to support them, so we do fundraisers like this to make up the difference.”

In a time where data and trends show rising homelessness among older adults, Waldman said this year's competition had even more stakes and meaning to it. Waldman said she's now heard more anectodal stories of people being evicted after living in homes for 10-15 years; seniors often cannot keep up with rent increases on fixed incomes.

“We haven’t seen anything like this, ever,” Waldman said. “About 30 percent of the people that are homeless on the streets are over 55, and that is just unprecedented in our time.”

Silver Chef also offered a raffle competition for guests to donate funds to St. Luke's Home and help the company continue to provide vital resources..