LULING — United Way of St. Charles kick-started their 2005 fund-raising drive with their fourth annual gumbo/jambalaya cookoff.

Executive Director Denise Brodsky welcomed guests to the West Bank Bridge Park to sample the entries and issue a call to contribute toward this year’s fund-raising goal of $2.3 million.

Celebrity judges from the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute sampled and resampled the entries submitted by various industries and businesses, competing for the Paddle awards and bragging rights for another year.