Kirkland native Melissa LaCaille, 30, is one of six finalists from across the country who will compete to become the “Big Cheese” at the Tillamook Macaroni and Cheese Recipe Contest this week in Oregon.

LaCaille is no rookie to food competitions. This year she won the Z’Tejas Chile Fest competition for which she had to create a dessert that used chilies — an award-winning Spicy Blackberry Cobbler.

In 2006, she won the Eagle Brand Bar Cookie competition at the Puyallup Fair. Last month, she won the “Best Cake” category with her German Spice Cake.

This was LaCaille’s second time submitting a recipe for Tillamook’s mac and cheese competition, but she was shocked when she received the call that named her a finalist.

“I am really looking forward to Tillamook. It is the biggest competition I have been in to date, and it feels incredibly rewarding,” she said.

The winner of the cook-off will receive $5,000, not to mention 25 pounds of Tillamook cheese.

“If I win, I’m going to host a killer cheese and wine tasting party,” LaCaille joked.

LaCaille’s recipe, Cornbread Topped Apple Macaroni & Cheese, is a twist on the traditional family favorite, but remains quick and simple to make.

“I’m hoping my edge is that this is everyday food. It’s an approachable recipe. It’s simple, but simple is what makes it so good,” she said.

She chose apples to accompany the cheese sauce because she remembered her mom giving her slices of apples with sharp cheddar cheese on top as a child. She also chose the cornbread because she wanted something that would complement the apples, without taking away from the flavor.

LaCaille’s twin sister, Denise, said her sister has a “knack” for knowing what people like.

“Even without tasting a recipe she can tell whether it’s going to work or not,” Denise said.

Regarding the mac and cheese, “I did it the first time the way I thought I wanted it, and I haven’t changed it since,” admitted LaCaille.

Family and friends are already fans of her macaroni creation. For $10 she will make them a batch for events, or just to take home. LaCaille calls it “cheese sponsorship” and believes it’s good practice for the big day.

While cooking is her passion, LaCaille pays the bills by managing the online marketing campaigns for Zillow.com, a Seattle-based online real-estate service company. She also writes monthly newsletters and updates Web content for Northwest Cellars, a company that specializes in personalized wine labels.

Soon LaCaille will be writing the Twin Tastes blog for the new Web site South Sound Eats. This site will feature blogs and content about the best restaurants, wineries, breweries, farms, markets and artisan food producers in the South Sound.

“I love food, and I love to write about food — that is my passion,” she said.

She and her twin also have a blog of their own, where they share recipes and their love of food. They write: “Make meals, make messes, make memories, this is what Twin Tables is all about.”

“(The blog) started out of boredom one day, and kind of evolved into a place where we can put up recipes we enjoy and our experiments in the kitchen for friends and family to see,” Denise said.

Visit their blog at twintables.blogspot.com.

For the contest, the six contestants will each cook their macaroni dish from scratch in front of a live audience. Bravo Television Network’s “Top Chef” winner, Ilan Hall, will be emceeing the cook-off. Celebrities and culinary experts will judge the recipes and declare the winner.

LaCaille is excited to go to Portland and represent Washington in her quest for top honors at this competition.

Shannon Lefley is a student in the University of Washington News Lab.