Enter on Dole.com/cookoff to win a chance for Chef Ben Ford to judge your culinary creation in L.A.

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar. 18, 2013-- The fifth annual DOLE® California Cook-Off contest is now accepting grilling recipes at Dole.com/cookoff. One talented griller will take home a whopping $25,000 in addition to 4 days/3 nights in celebrity-centric L.A. and earn the respect of celebrity chef Ben Ford!

If you’re a fan of grilling and have a special, family-favorite recipe that incorporates a DOLE packaged product, we want to know about it! Submit a bite-sized version in the DOLE 2013 California Cook-Off recipe contest on Dole.com/cookoff and be ready to be judged on your best use of DOLE products, creativity, flavor and taste. It’s that simple!

Three finalists will be selected from around the nation and flown to sunny Southern California in late June, where they will don official Cook-Off aprons and prepare their delectable Dole dish in front of envious onlookers and a panel of judges led by a renowned celebrity chef, Ben Ford of Ford’s Filling Station in Culver City, Calif. Hungry for the challenge but nervous about preparing your dish in the lime light? Don’t sweat it! During the final Cook-off each finalist will have a L.A. based food blogger as their Sous Chef, all personally selected by Dole.

The 2013 DOLE California Cook-Off contest launched March 17, 2013 at 12 a.m. ET and closes on May 15, 2013. Submit a delicious appetizer, small plate, tapas, taster, or just a healthier portion sized dish that can be prepared in 60 minutes or less on a gas grill using at least one DOLE product and no more than seven additional ingredients. Participation is simple – check out Dole.com/cookoff for more information and the official contest rules.

“Challenge yourself—whether you’re a young adult learning your way around a grill, an expert at feeding your family, or a full-time worker bee who is challenged to eat healthfully throughout a busy schedule—$25,000 is at stake here and it could be yours! Visit Dole.com/cookoff and enter your best recipe today,” said Chef Ben Ford.

Are you more of a master taster? Warm up that palate, as there is also a chance to win a spot on the judging panel! If you’d prefer to sit back and enjoy the fantastic presentation by the three Cook-off finalists than fire up a grill of your own, enter the sweepstakes for a chance to win at Dole.com/cookoff.

For appetizing ideas on what to enter in the 2013 Dole California Cook-Off visit Facebook.com/DOLE or DOLE.com/Recipes. You’re sure to find many fun and creative ways to add healthy Dole packaged products to your lifestyle.

About Dole Food Company, Inc.

Dole is the world’s largest producer and marketer of high-quality fresh fruit and fresh vegetables, and is the leading producer of organic bananas. Dole markets a growing line of packaged and frozen fruit and is a produce industry leader in nutrition education and research.

Source: Dole Food Company, Inc.

Rogers Finn Partners Jessica Schmidt (310) 552-4177 jess@finnpartners.com