It is important to keep the  order of events straight.

The Seagull Wings Cook-Off starts before the Seagull Calling Contest.

The Port Orchard Chamber of Commerce hopes to find as many crafty cooks, barbecue aficionadoes and expert seasoners for the annual wing cook-off event, hosted as part of the 24th Seagull Calling Festival on May 27. The event is part of the Kitsap Harbor Festival at both the Port Orchard Marina and the Bremerton Marina.

Coreen Haydock, executive director of the Chamber, encouraged anyone in the area who knows a special ingredient or holds close a secret sauce to enter the fundraising event. The contest breaks into “amateur” and “professional categories, with awards announced for the first- second- and third-place winners as awarded by a panel of “local celebrity” judges. Contestants distribute wings for 50 cents a pop to the public.

“It’s a great time to get together with your grilling buddies and show the town what you can do,” Haydock said.

Last year, 10 local restaurants and five amateurs entered the wing cook-off. First place went to a team called Sego’s Seagulls in the amateur category and Chico and Suzie Jimines in the professional category. An entry fee of $25 for professionals and $50 for amateurs exists, Haydock said. Each participant is also required to provide 200 wings for visitors to eat.

Haydock said the cost can add up for amateur teams, but the Chamber offsets it by giving the amateurs half the price of all their wings sold.

Darryl Baldwin, owner of MoonDogs, Too, on Bay Street, participates in the cook-off every year. He said among the local restaurants, the winner of the event gets to hold their head high with bragging rights.

“There is a bit of a rivalry among us,” Baldwin said. “We all want the right to say who has the best wings in town.”

More information on the Seagull Wings Cook-Off can be found at ww.portorchard.com or by calling 360-876-3505.