Elizabeth Wieck tried majoring in music. (Her father plays violin and viola.) She tried majoring in Spanish. (Her mother is a language teacher.) Then she got hungry for something of her own.

“I realized food is my real passion. It’s what makes me happy,” said Wieck, a second-year culinary student at Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor.

But Wieck’s earlier pursuits – music and Spanish – will serve her well this afternoon when she enters the Books2Eat competition taking place 4-6 p.m. in Rangeley Hall at the EMCC campus. The event’s entrants, among them professional chefs, culinary students and amateur cooks, are required to create an edible artwork based on a real or imaginary book. Typically, the entries are cakes, but Wieck took on an additional and tasty challenge.

Because her parents are both from Europe – her father, Anatole, was born in Riga, Latvia, and her mother, Maria, was born in Croatia and grew up in Madrid – Wieck spent childhood summers in Spain. More recently, Wieck, who goes by the nickname “Izzy,” traveled with her mother and sister to the Spanish area that was the setting for Miguel de Cervantes’ classic novel, “Don Quixote.”

“I went to his house. I saw the windmills. I read the children’s book. I liked how the characters are so full of passion and so lively,” said Wieck, who is 23.

That’s when she decided to enter the Books2Eat contest with a savory Spanish tapas dish based on the Cervantes tale. Wieck chose the story because of her appreciation for all things Spanish. To arrange each component meticulously, however, required the steady hands of a musician.

The food sculpture depicts Don Quixote and his servant, Sancho Panza, riding toward a windmill. Don Quixote is made from a pickle; Sancho Panza is made from a prosciutto-wrapped cantaloupe ball. Their arms and legs are vegetables. Their chorizo-sausage animals trot on a tortilla de patatas (Spanish potato omelet). Before them is a waffle windmill mounted on a homemade baguette.

The Books2Eat competition is an opportunity for culinary students to show their artistic side, said chef Mark Janicki, co-chair of the EMCC culinary department and organizer for the event. When students win, they can add another star to their portfolio, he said. But the participation also offers a chance to work with the techniques and knowledge they have gained in the classroom, whether entering a sweet bakery item or a savory snack such as Wieck’s.

“It’s a wonderful outlet for creativity,” said Janicki. “The students have had one or two years of culinary experience in which most of what they do is dictated to them. With this they get to be creative and show their own strengths.”

More than 30 foodies have entered the contest, including five professional chefs and eight culinary students. Public participants, who will be the official judges in four categories, will be treated to a 4 p.m. high tea while viewing the entries. At 5 p.m., the winners will be announced, including the winner of the special “Stephen King Edible Book” category. (Janicki has entered a cake based on a scene from King’s first novel, “Carrie.”)

After the naming of the winners, the professional entries will be auctioned off, and the rest of the entries will take up their role as “edibles” for the audience.

After a test run last week for her “Don Quixote” creation, Wieck knows the flavor of her tapas is winning. She was still working on last minute details such as: Should Sancho Panza’s head be a garlic clove or a pearl onion?

“Flavor is very important to me,” said Wieck, during a family taste test of both her Books2Eat entry and a chocolate hazelnut sponge cake she had made earlier in the day. “I like to compare this to making ice sculptures. And it’s not sweet at all. People will want it because it’s not fattening.”

Her sister Anna interrupted her. “Chorizo is not exactly health food,” she joked.

“Well, Don Quixote was not exactly healthful,” Izzy countered.

But it’s likely the famous Spanish windmill chaser never looked so delicious.

Books2Eat will take place 4-6 p.m. today in Rangeley Hall at Eastern Maine Community College on Sylvan Road in Bangor. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students. For information, call 974-4640.

Izzy?s Tortilla de Patatas

Serves 6

5 medium potatoes, peeled

6 eggs, beaten

Olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Slice potatoes thinly. Place in medium bowl and toss lightly with olive oil (about 2 tablespoons). Cook in microwave for 10 minutes. Remove potatoes from microwave and stir. Return to microwave and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.

When potatoes are room temperature, add eggs, salt and pepper. Stir.

Heat a medium saute pan with enough olive oil to cover bottom. When the oil is hot, add potato-egg mixture. Tighten the sides with a spatula. When the egg has stiffened and is golden brown on the cooked side, flip onto a plate. Slide the egg back to the pan and cook the other side. Return to plate and serve in pizza triangles or as the base of a food sculpture.