Mather LifeWays Recipe Contest

By Stuart Greenblatt

It's a cold winter and older adults in Illinois and Arizona are heating up their ovens in January and February for the Mather LifeWays Aging Well Bakes! recipe contest. The contest is aimed at celebrating Illinois' and Arizona's older adults and their baking talents.

The Aging Well Bakes! recipe contest marks the second competition created by Mather LifeWays to celebrate the talents of older adults. It follows the success of the Aging Well Rocks! song competition, designed to celebrate the musical talent of people over age 55.

This year, older adults 55 years of age and better are invited to share an original baked dessert recipe that brings up fond memories and inspires others to be creative in the kitchen. Mather LifeWays will feature finalists' entries on their website and one grand prize winner in both Illinois and Arizona will each receive a $500 gift certificate to Williams-Sonoma.

"Growing older can be a fun, sweet, and positive experience and Mather LifeWays is excited to celebrate that through the Aging Well Bakes! recipe contest," said Sara McVey, Vice President, Marketing & Director of Operations. "We are sure that there are thousands of wonderful recipes in both states that have been passed down from generation to generation and we encourage those to be shared in the competition."

To participate, entrants 55 years of age and better who are Illinois or Arizona residents must submit an original baked dessert recipe with no more than 10 ingredients, a full-color photograph of their baked dessert (optional), and a brief narrative (50 words or less) explaining why the dessert represents an appropriate treat for Aging Well.

Illinois contestants can log onto: www.matherlifeways.com/agingwellbakes/ and Arizona contestants can log onto: http://www.splendidotucson.com/agingwellbakes for all of the official rules and instructions on how to submit recipes. Entries will be accepted through March 27, 2009. A panel of Mather LifeWays culinary experts will determine the winning entries which will be announced on April 12, 2009, appropriately timed to coincide with founder Alonzo Mather’s birthday.

Illinois and Arizona readers of aging in action are encouraged to spread the word about Aging Well Bakes! Downloadable flyers and posters for both states are available at the following links.

Arizona Poster	Illinois Poster
Arizona Flyer	Illinois Flyer

Comments? Tell us what you think: askaia@matherlifeways.com