Each year the Food Network showcases the World's Richest Chuckwagon Cook-off in Ruidoso, New Mexico. It is a wonderful program that captures the nostalgia and culinary excitement of the Chuckwagon Cook-off and each year we here at SouthernNewMexico.com get flooded with viewers searching for more information. This year, I'm being proactive. I'm bringing the information to you.

The Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium hosts the World's Richest Chuckwagon Cook-off each year on the second weekend of October (October 12, 13, and 14 in 2007). The event is held on the grounds of the Ruidoso Downs Race Track. Cooks compete for prizes totaling $10,000 (in 2007) and judged not only on the food but on the authenticity of their wagons and attire.

The Chuckwagon Cook-off is a true old-school cooking event. If you decide to come, be prepared to "cowboy up." The event is held outdoors, without electricity, running water or other conveniences of a modern society. But you will also be rewarded by the bright-blue New Mexico sky it the daytime and the most romantic night sky stargazers could ask for.

You will also be rewarded with a taste of real cowboy cooking. The biscuits may be a little burned and the coffee a little strong, but the beans will stick to your ribs and might even put you in the mood for reciting some cowboy poetry, or maybe you'll grab a guitar and start serenading your sweetheart. You never know.

For more information, see our article on the Chuckwagon Cook-off, visit the Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium's website at http://www.cowboysymposium.org/, or contact Sunny Hirschfeld, Coordinator, 1461 Hwy 70 W., Ruidoso Downs, NM 88346, 505-378-7262.