Don’t think of it as meat, darn it, consider it a seasoning!

• photo by cq
• The classic American grilled vegetable, hold the bacon …

Those fabulously creative folks at Powell Gardens came up with a great idea for an outdoor grilling competition: a fruit and vegetable Grill Off to be held on the grounds of the nonprofit botanical garden Saturday, September 10. It’s going to be a big culinary day for Powell Gardens (1609 N.W. U.S. Highway 50) beginning at 10:30 a.m., when four local chefs — Carter Holton, pastry chef at Le Fou Frog; Blair Cobbett of Genessee Royale Bistro; chef-owner Michael Foust of the Farmhouse; and Jane Zieha, Blue Bird Bistro owner — each presents a 30-minute demonstration of grilling with fruits and vegetables.

Jill Draper, marketing associate for Powell Gardens, says she’s still looking for participants to compete in the “Fruit & Veggie Grill Off,” which begins at 1:30 p.m. at Powell Gardens. It’s all about grilling meatless dishes, but meat isn’t going to be excluded from the ingredient lists: “Meat can be used as seasoning,” Draper says. “Bacon-wrapped asparagus, for example. But it can’t be the main ingredient.”