R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press file photo In his domain in the kitchen of Horizons Steakhouse in the Island Resort and Casino, Executive Chef Michael Timmins prepares shrimp scampi. Timmins recently won second place in a national recipe contest for casino chefs.

HARRIS — Michael Timmins, executive chef at Horizons Steakhouse in the Island Resort and Casino in Harris, took second place in a competition to determine the “Culinary King of the Casino,” conducted by Gaming and Destinations magazine.

Each participating chef presented one recipe to enter into the challenge.

No secret ingredients were at play. On the magazine’s website, gaminganddestinations.com, Timmins’ recipe for Horizons Wellington is listed in full, as are the recipes from the other contenders, including that of the blueberry galette that was submitted by the ultimate winner, Allison Spicer, chef at the Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort in D’Iberville, Miss.

Other chefs in the contest’s earlier round were Jackson Reichel from Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort; Willie Gaspard from Cypress Bayou Casino and Hotel in Charenton, La.; Mason Rice from FireKeepers Casino Hotel in Battle Creek, Mich.; and Pete Zach from Potawatomi Casino Hotel in Milwaukee, Wis.

The second and final round of voting in the “Casino Chef Showdown Recipe Contest” had pitted just Spicer and Timmins against one another.

It was a close race, with Spicer just “narrowly” taking the winning edge, Gaming and Destinations announced.

The online voting format also gave others the chance to win; according to the publication’s website, people who voted on recipes were entered into a drawing for a casino getaway that includes a one-night stay at the winner’s chosen casino hotel, dinner for two at that casino’s premium restaurant, money for both travel and casino games, and the option to submit their trip review to the magazine.

Spotlights on both Timmins and Spicer will appear in the September Casino Dining Guide, a spokesperson said.