Let the Chips Fall : Oxnard Salsa Festival invites amateurs and pros to put recipes on the line.

Talk about a heated competition.

Downtown Oxnard’s sixth annual Salsa Festival will be held July 31 and Aug. 1 at Plaza Park. And for those planning to enter the event’s popular salsa recipe contest, here is another important date: the registration deadline is Wednesday.

The tasting competition is two-pronged: There is a contest for amateurs and another for the professional/restaurant types. Judging for both will be July 31.

Here is how it works:

Amateurs must prepare at least 1 gallon of salsa to bring to the event. The pros must prepare 10 gallons each. The concoction should be submitted in labeled plastic containers and stored in a cooler to keep it fresh.

Check-in at the park is 10 a.m.; judging will begin at 11 a.m.

Prizes will be awarded in the following categories: best red, best green, best fruit, most unusual, best hot, best mild, people’s choice and judge’s choice.

Thinking about entering? We consulted salsa expert Ron Smith to provide salsa-making neophytes a few tips on the business of brewing contest-worthy salsa.

“One thing you don’t want to go overboard on is the heat,” said Smith, proprietor of downtown Ventura’s Smith & Smith, which offers an impressive array of fine salsas and hot sauces. “People boast, ‘I make the hottest salsa in the world.’ Well, that’s fine, but that’s just joke stuff.”

What follows are a few of Smith’s suggestions:

* Put some fire in the recipe, but keep flavor the uppermost goal.

* Don’t use too much salt because the spices and assorted ingredients will provide a salty flavor.

* Don’t use any commercial preservatives--try to stick with either vinegar or lemon juice.

* Entrants can submit fresh or cooked salsa recipes. Smith advises the latter.

“Fresh salsas are pretty basic--tomatoes, onions, cilantro, garlic, chili peppers,” he said. “With a cooked salsa you can add a lot of different herbs and spices that wouldn’t come through in a fresh salsa. You can add your powdered cumins and stuff that you like yourself.”

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Calling all food and wine enthusiasts. The annual “A Taste of Camarillo” outdoor festival will return Sunday for its 12th installment. This year’s event--again benefiting the Boys & Girls Club of Camarillo--will be held outdoors at Cal State Channel Islands.

A quick glance: About 60 wineries will pour samples, while 40 restaurants, caterers and specialty vendors will serve up the noshes. Fifty lots of wine will be auctioned, many of them select varieties not sold in retail outlets, and Latin jazz rhythms will be provided by the Estrada Brothers band. “There will be wines for everybody--the collector to the beginner,” said event co-chairman Glenn Sanders. “A lot of it is rated 90-plus points by Wine Spectator or Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.”

The silent auction will offer 120 wines, and an additional 75 will be up for bids during a live auction. Among the more prized selections offered will be first-growth French wines--namely Margaux and Chateau Mouton-Rothschild--plus, a ’95 Robert Mondavi cabernet and a coveted magnum of ’94 Silver Oak Napa Valley cabernet.

DETAILS

“A Taste of Camarillo” will be held outdoors from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Cal State Channel Islands. Advance tickets are $45; day of the event, $50. The campus is at 1878 S. Lewis Road, Camarillo. To order advance tickets or for information, call 482-8113.

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So you think you could be the next Emeril Lagasse? Or maybe you have a yearning to open a pastry shop. Or you are wondering if there is a demand for professional food photographers?

For all those tossing around the idea of making a living in the food business, the Westlake Culinary Institute offers “Exploring a Professional Career.”

The free class, which will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, provides practical information to help decide if a career in the culinary business is for you. The class will be led by food industry consultant Cecilia DeCastro, who has taught professional cooking classes for more than 10 years.

During the first portion of the class, DeCastro will talk about specific opportunities in the food industry, plus where would-be professionals can go to receive schooling and experience. “I’m going to talk about career options, like catering, food photography, food styling, product development, opening your own restaurant,” DeCastro said.

There will be a discussion about career transition and the kind of training recommended to get entry-level positions in restaurants, plus what you can expect to be doing as you move up the ladder in a restaurant setting.

Class members will also have a chance to inquire about their specific interests. “People come to ask questions about all aspects--from how to write a good cookbook to how to become a chef,” she said.

For some, the class also serves as a reality check. “We get a lot of the curious who watch the Food Network and think they can be the next celebrity chef,” she said. “They have this glossy image of being a restaurateur. I have to give them the reality of it, and some are surprised to learn how hard it really is.

The class will also serve as an introduction to the institute’s Professional Cooking Series, a 24-session course beginning Sept. 13. The program, taught by DeCastro, is divided into three parts with each offering a combination of lecture, demonstrations and hands-on instruction.

DETAILS

Westlake Culinary Institute will present “Exploring a Professional Career” at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. Registration is required for the free class. The institute is at 4643 Lakeview Canyon Road, Westlake Village. Call (818) 991-3940.

Rodney Bosch writes about the restaurant scene in Ventura County and outlying points. He can be reached at 653-7572, fax 653-7576 or by e-mail at: rodney.bosch@latimes.com.