For anyone who loves a great Caesar salad, Houston’s annual Caesar Salad Competition is a must-see – or, make that a must-taste. Friday, October 10, marks the 30th annual staging of this popular toss-up, which, so far as we can ascertain, is the oldest Caesar salad competition in the United States.

It brings together some 20 chefs from Houston’s best restaurants and hotels who compete in four categories. Everyone is welcome, and you’re invited to sample every salad, washing down each with wine or bottled water, then vote for the Consumers’ Choice Award. (A panel of judges decides the other winners.)

Love the old-fashioned, strictly interpreted Caesar salad? There’s a category for Classic Caesar Salad in which contestants are judged on flavor, freshness and balance and how faithfully they adhere to the spirit of Caesar Cardini’s classic recipe.

More a gourmand daredevil? Then you’ll want to focus on sampling from the Most Creative category, where a Caesar salad can take many forms. In years past guests have sampled Caesar salad soup, popsicles, tacos, wraps, sushi, even Caesar salad martinis. In 2004, *17 Restaurant at the Alden Hotel turned Caesar salad inside-out, deconstructing it by tempura-frying the hearts of romaine lettuce, which were then topped with Caesar dressing made into jelly-like “croutons.”

Consider some of these other recent creative Caesar salad entries: Rickshaw’s bite-size Caesar that was served on a skewer in a martini glass of parmesan broth, the stemmed glass decorated with an origami crane; Caesar salad cotton candy (the heart of romaine was the “handle”) from the Houston Marriott South at Hobby Airport; smoked Caesar with Mediterranean sardines served in a sardine can from Quattro at the Four Seasons; and Artisans’ chicken Caesar sausage atop a challah bun. Sometimes, as with Kiran’s and Olivette at The Houstonian, the winning salads earn a place on the regular restaurant menu.

The 30th Annual Caesar Salad Competition is sponsored by the Houston Food & Beverage Managers Association and My Table magazine with proceeds benefiting the Food & Beverage Managers’ Educational Endowment. Tickets are $45 in advance. Visit caesarsaladcompetitionhouston.com.

Think you know your way around the salad bowl? We’re still looking for a few more creative chefs to participate in next month’s event on October 10. Contact info@my-table.com for an entry form.