After the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way groups could gather, organizations were forced to get creative and digitize their events. The Diocese of Allentown was no exception to this and began brainstorming new fundraising methods after parishes were forced to cancel summer festivals.

After being inspired by the community’s love for festival foods, the diocese devised an online cooking competition - Cooks with Collars - featuring 27 parishes vying for the title of favorite chef.

Each parish submitted a cooking tutorial video where viewers can vote and leave donations. The highest-grossing video will be deemed the winner.

The Cooks with Collars fundraising competition began Jan. 15 and is scheduled to last a month. A goal of the event is to swap out the altar for a kitchen and showcase the person behind the clerical collar.

“They never imagine [the priest] putting on an apron and cooking his own dinner,” said Paul Wirth, spokesperson for the Allentown Diocese.

The fundraiser has already brought in more than $100,000 in donations and almost $70,000 in sponsorship contributions. Each parish will be able to keep their earned donations, while sponsorship contributions will be allocated to support Catholic Charities ministries.

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, Northampton, is leading the competition with more than $25,000 in donations, as of press time. The video features siblings Msgr. Tom Koons and Dr. Rose Trout sharing their mother’s famous nut kiffle recipe with parishioner Jane Spengler. The brother and sister dynamic between Koons and Trout steals the show.

Queenship of Mary Church, Northampton, is also taking part. Father Lamb utilizes the help of Sister Donna, Sister Bernadette and Sister Lucia of the Sisters of Christian Charity to make an apple cobbler. Lamb’s jokes and puns keep the sisters laughing. As of press time, Queenship’s donations were at $4,030.

The video for Sacred Heart Parish, Bath, features Father Butera and members of the Knights of Columbus making 60 gallons of clam chowder. The chowder is sold as a Knights of Columbus fundraiser. As of press time, Sacred Heart’s donations were at $1,795.

Voting ends Feb. 15, and the champion of the cooking competition will be announced the next day. To keep up with the fundraisers and to vote, visit cookswithcollars.com.