Kristy Schalck

CHEF CHALLENGE

Now's the time to eat fresh summer vegetables, but maybe you're feeling too tired and too hot to whip up anything creative with that beautiful produce.

Well, Kristy Schalck is standing by to help as our next Virtual Chef. As the chef-owner of Tousey House in Burlington, Schalck uses a contemporary Kentucky spin to turn out dishes such as bourbon-marinated, pan-seared shrimp and cheddar cheese grits. Now she's ready to help us cook up something using fresh fruit and vegetables - as soon as you tell her what to use.

Virtual Chef is our occasional series in which readers go online to tell the chef what to cook. Readers vote for favorite ingredients, we hand the final list to the chef and she or he creates a dish using them and a few "pantry" staples.

Unlike previous Virtual Chef stories, though, this will be a "cold and in the raw" challenge for Schalck. Her ingredient list will feature only fruit and vegetables, and she can't use a stove or oven - not even a hot plate - for cooking.

Curious to see what the chef creates? Give us your e-mail address when vote, and we'll tell you when Schalck will cook Friday at Boone County Farmer's Market in Burlington. All you have to do is show up, and grab a sample.

The only catch: You must vote online before 5 p.m. Thursday.

- Chuck Martin