Photo Provided Shown from left are Chef Dean Barath, Chef Ryan Butler, and Chef Mike Travis, who will compete Saturday for the title of Steel Valley Chef.

BELLAIRE — The Ohio Valley Farmers’ Market will host its inaugural Steel Valley Chef Competition from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the market on 32nd Street in Bellaire.

Join the market as Chefs Mike Travis, Ryan Butler and Dean Barath square off in three rounds of competition. The chefs will shop the market for the ingredients to create signature dishes that must feature a secret ingredient.

Chef Travis is the executive chef at Elmhurst in Wheeling. Travis loves to use locally grown ingredients at work and at home and is a frequent guest chef at the farmers’ market on Saturdays.

Chef Ryan started cooking at age 12 for his family and began washing dishes at 15 at a local restaurant. Since then, he has worked at all manner of eateries and has been executive chef at Wheeling Brewing Company for four years.

Chef Dean and his wife, Carrie, are both educated in the culinary arts. They currently operate Ideal Provisions a food truck that is seen frequently at events and various locations around the valley.

Judging the event will be Belmont County Commissioner J.P. Dutton, Chef Gene Evans of West Virginia Northern Community College and Chef Robert Rys of Pickles Restaurant in Wheeling.

Emcee for the competition is Steve Novotney, a professional journalist for the past 28 years. For the past two years, he has partnered with WVNCC’s Culinary Arts Department to produce the “Culinary Cook-Off the United Way of the Upper Ohio Valley.

The event schedule is as follows:

9 a.m. Market opening and announcements

9:10 a.m. Seating of participants

9:15 a.m. Introduction of participants

9:25 a.m. Start of competition/Shopping begins

9:45 a.m. Start of cooking

10:10 a.m. Presentation of appetizer

10:55 a.m. Presentation of main dish

11:20 a.m. Presentation of dessert and final judging with crowning of the winning chef

The competition will take place during normal business hours at the market. OVFM vendors will provide a variety of produce, baked, goods, crafts and other homemade foods.

A special children’s program will be held at the Kids’ Corner.

OVFM accepts USDA SNAP benefits which can be doubled up to $10 with Produce Perks incentives.

The market is also held 4-7 p.m. Thursdays in the parking lot of the Ohio Valley Mall, St. Clairsville. For more information, call 740-676-8187.