About this Event
Calling all home cooks and pumpkin, gourd, and winter squash lovers!
Join us for the coziest addition to our three-years-running smackdown series: Pumpkin Palooza—a harvest-happy community gathering celebrating peak-season cucurbits and the good food that grows from good agriculture. Home cooks will bring their best dishes—made with locally sourced pumpkins, gourds, or winter squash—to compete for the highly coveted title of AOOA 2026 Gourd Guru.
Fresh-roasted, farm-grown pumpkins and squash only—no canned puree, no tin-can trickery, no shortcuts. If it didn’t grow on a vine nearby, it’s out of line!
This event is all about coming together to celebrate what we grow locally and the joy of participating in and supporting good food and good agriculture!
If competing isn’t your thing, come join us as a taster! Sample a rich lineup of pumpkin-forward dishes, cast your vote, and help crown the People’s Choice Gourd Guru. Along the way, enjoy fun raffles featuring goodies from our competitors and occasional surprises from our illustrious celebrity chefs.
At the end of the event, two winners will be crowned, one selected by our Celebrity Judges and one chosen by People’s Choice. Let’s give ‘em pumpkin to talk about!
Each winner will receive a trophy and a thoughtfully curated basket of farmstand and culinary treats, including: AOOA in-house distilled liquor, seasonal vegetables, AOOA merch, D’Artagnan charcuterie!
Contestant Registration is open through October 15.
WHY WE SMACKDOWN: All revenue will go towards our Fresh Food for All program, which combats food insecurity by supplying nutritious, organic produce to local Orange County food pantries and feeding our neighbors in need. AOOA donates fresh organic produce during our growing season (March to November) and pastured eggs over the winter.
Event Schedule
- 11:30 am – Contestants arrive to check in, set up, and decorate tables
- 12:00 pm – Event opens to the public & judging begins
- 1:00 pm – Votes tallied
- 1:15 pm – Awards ceremony
Judging Criteria & Guidelines
Make local pumpkins, gourds, and winter squash the star! Dishes will be evaluated by our celebrity judges based on:
- Taste
- Appearance
- Texture
- How well the dish celebrates and highlights local cucurbits!
- Overall “good food, good ag” vibe — Does your dish reflect care, intention, and love for local, homemade, in-season good food and agriculture?
Contestants will receive:
- One-time 25% discount on farmstand produce and 6-8 pounds of pumpkin to pick up at the farmstand October 2 - 15 (during open business hours)
- Table space and tasting supplies (tasting spoons provided)
Contestants are required to:
- Have available for tasting at least 70 small portions of your dish.
- Email their recipe to [email protected] by October 15th.
- Bring two printed copies of their recipe
- Set up and decorate their tasting table
- Remain onsite for the full event to share the story behind their dish
Event venue & nearby stays
All One One All Farm, 221 Craigville Road, Goshen, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.