Cooking is not only a passion for Jo Lynn Gazo, it's a skill that runs in her family.

The grand prize winner of the 2011 TIMES NEWS Cookbook and Recipe contest says she honed her cooking skills underneath the apron strings of her grandmother, Mary Oleksa."My gram always made the best meals and desserts. That is where my passion for cooking began," says Gazo, who lives in Lehighton with her husband, attorney Brian Gazo.As a newlywed, Gazo says she started using a lot of recipes from her mother, Joan Horowski, and found "that there is nothing like a home-cooked meal.""Coming home and cooking a meal after a long day at work can be tough, but I have found several recipes that are classics."Gazo not only turns to the tried and true recipes of her mother and grandmother, but is known to get creative in the kitchen and develop her own recipes.A frequent contributor to the annual TIMES NEWS cookbook, Gazo has often had her recipes selected for honorable mentions, and in 2008 her recipe for Tuscan Garlic Chicken won first place in the cookbook's Main Dish category. While her efforts have proved successful in the past, she was still stunned when named this year's big winner."I was really surprised," exclaimed Gazo. "I was surprised to win in the sandwich category. Most people think of sandwiches as something very simple. I thought someone with a more gourmet dish would have won."While the judges were impressed with all of the recipes and prepared dishes by the seven category winners, from gourmet to simple, Gazo's "Day After Thanksgiving Monte Cristos" really stood out.After tasting all of the dishes, several of the judges were caught sneaking back for a second helping of the tasty Monte Cristos.A certified yoga instructor and substitute teacher, Gazo had a prior commitment on the night of the judging and had to leave shortly after she was proclaimed the winner. She said she was sorry she couldn't stay to mingle with the other winners and sample their winning dishes."It looked like a really nice group," she added.Gazo said as she headed out to teach her class, she quickly phoned her husband."I was really excited," she said. "As I was pulling out (of the parking lot), I called my husband. He could barely understand me I was so excited!"For winning the grand prize, Gazo was presented with a $100 grocery store gift card; a $100 restaurant gift card; and two American Profile cookbooks: "Hometown Recipes for the Holidays" and "Hometown Get-Togethers."The American Profile cookbooks are loaded with recipes from readers of the popular weekly magazine, which can be found in the TIMES NEWS every Monday.All the recipes in their cookbooks are put through American Profile's test kitchens to make sure these family favorites are accurate and easy to understand as well as tasty.After receiving her cookbooks, last year's big winner, LuAnn Noll exclaimed that she was as excited to win the cookbooks as she was to receive her grocery store and restaurant gift cards!For winning first place in their specific categories, Gazo and the other six winners were presented with a $50 grocery store gift card and a $50 restaurant gift card. The category winners also received a copy of "Hometown Get-Togethers.""The cookbooks are awesome," said Gazo. "and I love the Penn's Peak gift certificates. The year I won we went with friends of ours, whose anniversary is two weeks after ours."Gazo said she and her husband just may use her gift certificate again this year when they celebrate their anniversary on May 18."The contest is an awesome experience," added Gazo. "It's a great way to get to know people, taste some great food, and have some comradery."In her spare time, Gazo enjoys cake decorating, scrapbooking, traveling, and spending time with her husband and her 4 1/2-year-old niece, Oleksa.Gazo says one of her proudest moments in the kitchen was when Oleksa, who she says is generally a picky eater, devoured a helping of meatloaf Gazo made, and then asked for seconds.In addition to Gazo, who was originally proclaimed winner of the Sandwich category, the winners for 2011 include Mary Jane Blocker, Lehighton, in the Appetizer category, with her recipe for Golden Crab Puffs; Peggy Zimmerman, Tamaqua, in the Salads and Sides category, with her recipe for Tortellini Antipasto; and Dawn McCabe, Lehighton, in the Soups and Stews category, with her recipe for Chicken Corn Chowder.Winners also included Carol McGeehan, Albrightsville, in the Main Dish category, with her recipe for Scrumptious Crab Stuffed Shrimp; Kim Rubin, Lehighton, in the Casserole category, with her recipe for Baked Macaroni & Cheese; and Patricia Thiele, Albrightsville, with her recipe for Hungarian Coffee Cake.The seven finalists prepared their winning dishes and brought them to the TIMES NEWS office in Mahoning Township on March 22, where the final judging took place.Judges this year included members of the TIMES NEWS Cookbook Committee, including Jennifer Benninger, Darlene Hentosh and Linda Muffley, advertising sales representatives; Donna Hall, classified advertising and national sales representative; Amy Miller, reporter/photographer; Bob Miller, director of prepress operations; Tami Kunkel, production assistant; and Karen Cimms, Lifestyle editor.Also judging this year was Will Schwab, TIMES NEWS director of information technology, who graciously stepped in to help out when the invited guest judge was unable to attend.