United We Dream is auditioning and screening potential contestants based on how interested they are in sharing family recipes on a youth cook-off show, how passionate about immigrant communities, and how comfortable with storytelling on camera they are. 

We are looking for a diverse range of talent to be represented in this cook-off show and we encourage immigrants of all racial backgrounds to apply. 

In order to audition, the first step is to fill out our audition form. Upon submitting the completed form, you will be contacted within 2-3 weeks if we believe your interest and energy to be a potentially good fit for the cook-off. We will then schedule an interview with you where we can better assess your on-screen warmth and comfort level as you tell us a bit more about yourself and your family recipe.

We are accepting audition form submissions until Friday, May 10, 2024, and hope to select our cast by the end of June 2024. All selected participants will be required to sign media appearance forms in order to participate in our show.

We are casting 8 contestants. The contestants will compete in a face to face cook off in pairs. 

Contestants must:

• Be between 18 and 25 years old on July 1, 2024.
• An immigrant, first-generation or second-generation American of immigrant heritage
• Able to share a family recipe that is among any of the following categories:
  • The Welcome Home — Recipes of comfort that your family greeted you with after a long time away from home.
  • The New Beginnings — Recipes your family cooked the first year after moving and making your new home, often made on a dime. Ingredients to feed two people should cost no more than $30!
  • The Cure All — Timeless recipes for when you were sick and sniffly to bring you back to good health.
  • A Trip to the Market — Recipes that needed long drives to the open market, ethnic grocery store or farm. At least one of the ingredients should be an ingredient you can’t find at a corporate superstore!
  • Making the Most Out of a Little — Recipes made with love that kept your family afloat in times of financial hardship.
  • Sharing A Cup of Sugar — Recipes that helped fund an act of care for your community, neighborhood or block.
  • The Big Visit — Recipes for an important and highly anticipated reunion.
  • Grown Here at Home — Recipes made with ingredients typically grown right at home or foraged locally.

In this show we explore what makes up our immigrant identity and culture in the United States, particularly across race/ethnicity and immigration/citizenship status. We are looking to pair up home cooks of different backgrounds and experiences to show off what our community has in common and what makes our community so fiercely beautiful, caring and courageous.

To this end, we are seeking family recipes that fit within broader recipe categories, in order for us to have a common thread (the recipe category) as we pair up contestants of different backgrounds and experiences to show off what makes our community so fiercely beautiful, hopeful and inherently worthy of dignity.

The recipe categories we are accepting include family recipes that are among the following:

• The Welcome Home — Recipes of comfort that your family greeted you with after a long time away from home.
• The New Beginnings — Recipes your family cooked the first year after moving and making your new home, often made on a dime. Ingredients to feed two people should cost no more than $30!
• The Cure All — Timeless recipes for when you were sick and sniffly to bring you back to good health.
• A Trip to the Market — Recipes that needed long drives to the open market, ethnic grocery store or farm. At least one of the ingredients should be an ingredient you can’t find at a corporate superstore!
• Making the Most Out of a Little — Recipes made with love that kept your family afloat in times of financial hardship.
• Sharing A Cup of Sugar — Recipes that helped fund an act of care for your community, neighborhood or block.
• The Big Visit — Recipes for an important and highly anticipated reunion.
• Grown Here at Home — Recipes made with ingredients typically grown right at home or foraged locally.

This is a non-scripted show, which means our contestants will come as they are — which is why it’s so important that those who audition want to be there, want to play, and want to be on screen.

We will prepare with you to ensure you walk into the kitchen set as ready as possible to compete!

We are looking to cast dynamic storytellers who are any of the following:

• Undocumented
• DACA recipient
• TPS recipient
• U.S. Citizen, formerly undocumented
• U.S. Citizen who is a child or grandchild of immigrants (first-, second- gen)
• Immigrant of various legal status (U-Visa, VAWA, asylum seeker, refugee)

We are looking for people who love friendly competition, who love to play, and who love to tell stories.

Contestants must be 18-25 years old and at least 18 years old on July 1, 2024.

UWD will cover all costs for ingredients, appliances and supplies needed for the show, including a kitchen set.

Yes. We will make an effort to keep everyone safe. We will comply with then-current best practices for filming, including, at a minimum, requiring all crew and cast to be COVID tested and/or show proof of vaccination to be cleared to be on set. Safety is our number one priority.

Yes, if you are cast and confirm your participation as a contestant, you will be required to sign a media release granting us permission to use your image and likeness for the show and promotional materials. 

Sheridan Aguirre (they/them/theirs), Arts & Culture Change Strategist for United We Dream, will be responsible for managing the production team and will be on the set along with UWD’s creative team. Our film crew is made up of culture workers and artists who are immigrants, people of color and LGBTQ+ people.

For questions or concerns, contact: sheridan@unitedwedream.org and CC ayling@unitedwedream.org