Coulee Region chef is finalist in national competition

ONALASKA, Wis. (WEAU) - La Crosse’s own Jimmy Wilson is one of the 16 finalists in the national Favorite Chef competition. The culinary tournament consists of top chefs and passionate home cooks.

Wilson, who is currently the food service director of Bay Harbor Senior Living in La Crescent, has worked around food for most of his life.

“My mother had a restaurant when I was a kid. She had a catering business when I was even younger than that. I kind of grew up in it, in the kitchen, helping my mother gather ingredients and stuff, and eventually working in her restaurant when I was a teenager,” Wilson says.

Wilson says there are many reasons that he is passionate about cooking.

“You get to take these ingredients from a raw state and you get to make them into something else, and you get to use your creativity to do that, try different flavors, and experiment with different things. It’s always fun to do that kind of stuff,” Wilson says.

Wilson’s girlfriend, Cynthia Wallis, encouraged him to enter the competition. She says it feels great to see Jimmy make it this far in the tournament.

“To watch somebody follow their dreams is awesome because there’s nothing better than somebody getting that far in life,” Wallis says.

Wilson adds that he appreciates all of the support that has come from the community to get him this far in the competition.

“It’s very humbling and an honor to see how my friends, family, and the community have rallied behind me and supported me. It’s been amazing that I’ve had total strangers come up to me, recognize me, and tell me that they voted for me. It’s awe-inspiring. It keeps me wanting to create more dishes and post them on Facebook and TikTok,” Wilson says.

Wilson says winning this competition would help his plans to expand his social media platforms and publish a cookbook.

Prizes for the competition’s winner include $25,000, an exclusive cooking experience with celebrity chef Carla Hall, and a feature in Taste of Home magazine.

Voting is open until 9 p.m. tonight. The winner will then be announced in the coming weeks.

Votes can be casted online HERE: Jimmy Wilson | Favorite Chef presented by Carla Hall.