10th Annual Cookin’ To Build is Tasty Way to Help Build
Middle Tennessee residents will have a chance to fill their
bellies with delicious chilies, soups, stews and gumbos from over 30 cooking teams at the 10th Annual
Cookin’ To Build event on Saturday, Nov. 4, 11am – 1:30 pm on the Murfreesboro Town Square. The popular food event raises money for Rutherford County Habitat for Humanity to help build safe, energy-
efficient and affordable homes for low-income families across Rutherford County.
Cooking teams from organizations, groups, churches, schools and local businesses prepare the food for
for free, as a way to help support the Habitat for Humanity mission. Teams will also vie for prizes as
attendees vote for their favorites. Previous winners include Site Hawk, Dani Amendola, The Rutherford
County Sheriff’s Department, Oakland Middle School and Mid South Bank.
This is the 10th year for the popular Cookin’ To Build event, which is held every year in early November.
Tickets for the event are $20 and include a painted pottery bowl to take home, “all you can eat” from
the food booths, free dessert and drinks and musical entertainment. Popular music talent Robert Eskew
and friends will provide the entertainment again. Event tickets are available at Habitat’s two ReStores in
Murfreesboro (850 Mercury Blvd) and Smyrna (413 Nissan Blvd) and at the event. Pre-registration ticket
holders can get in a half hour early, at 10:30 am.
Prior to the event, attendees can also go to The Pottery Place in Murfreesboro and paint their own bowl
for $5 plus their Cookin event ticket of $20. The Pottery Place also donates the bowls for the
other ticketed attendees. Bowl painting is through October 31st and painters can get in a half hour early, at 10:30 am.
Previous Cookin’ To Build events raised over $15,000 each year and helped build many Habitat houses
including the 2017 Women Build for the Oriz family on Johnson Street in Smyrna. Sponsors for the 2017
Cookin To Build event are Pillsbury/General Mills, The Pottery Place and Atmos Energy. Additional
funding is from Kroger, Redstone Federal Credit Union, and First Vision Bank.
Habitat does not give houses away but instead helps families who would not qualify for a mortgage and
provides the financial education and guidance for them to buy a house, at no profit to Habitat, through a
0-interest mortgage. In addition to a mandatory 30-week financial and homeowner education program,
they must complete 300-400 hours of “sweat equity”. Habitat Partner Families are then equipped to
sustain their home, manage their money and move out of the cycle of poverty.
What: Cookin’ To Build food event
When: Saturday, Nov. 4, 11:00am – 1:30pm 10:30 a.m. Pre-Registration and bowl painters get in half hour early
Tickets: $20 – all you can eat and take home your hand-painted bowl. Bowl painting open at The Pottery Place through Oct. 31: $5 bowl painting + $20 ticket
Where: Murfreesboro Town Square
