A Kent man was the Bloggers’ Choice Award Winner at the second annual Foster Farms Fresh Chicken Cooking Contest.

Mark Pyne won the honor at the regional finals Aug. 12 at the Kathy Casey Food Studios in Seattle. Pyne was recognized for his use of fresh, local ingredients, according to a Foster Farms media release.

Pyne was one of five state semifinalists who competed against semifinalists from Oregon and California. He did not win the overall contest that would have won him $1,000 and a trip to the finals Sept. 30 in Napa, Calif. The grand prize winner receives $10,000 and a year’s supply of Foster Farms fresh chicken.

Pyne, a chemical engineer and plant manager who loves to cook as a hobby, submitted a Chicken, Wine and Brussels Sprout Salad recipe. He has a small garden where he grows herbs and tomatoes, and he shares cooking duty with his wife every night except Fridays – their date night.

At the regional competition, judges Kathy Casey, celebrity chef and cookbook author; Cynthia Nims, contributor Seattle Magazine and Cooking Light; and Jamie Peha, Table Talk Radio, selected Bellingham’s Tina Hoban’s Chicken with Cherry Tapenade over Creamy Pancetta Polenta recipe and Vancouver’s Rebecca Spence’s Crispy Orange Chicken with Fennel, Avocado and Orange Salad recipe as their top picks based on their recipes’ use of fresh, local ingredients, including Foster Farms locally grown chicken.

Judges made decisions based on taste, use of fresh, local ingredients, appearance/appeal, simplicity/ease of making and originality.