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Event Wed Jan 21 2015
Young Chefs Battle for Regional Winner of Almost Famous Chef Competition
Food competitions are the best kind of sport--you gain weight instead of losing it, and lethal weapons are allowed. Between "Top Chef," "Knife Fight" and all of Food Network's programming, there's no shortage of TV shows where chefs chop and season away for the culinary crown. In Chicago, local competitions take place throughout the year and don't always require contestants to be established chefs. I recently attended the S.Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Regional Competition, an event dedicated to discovering and promoting young culinary talent across the nation. The VIP dinner took place at Kendall College, judged by a panel of culinary stars, including Chris Duffy (Grace) and Sarah Grueneberg ("Top Chef"). Though every contestant had to use the same set of pre-selected ingredients, the menu showed a diverse array of techniques:
Mediterranean Roasted Rack of Lamb with Pistachio Lemon Pesto
by Morgan Taylor from L'Ecole Culinaire - St Louis
Cajun Fried Duck Breast with Orange Gastrique, Cauliflower Puree & Sautéed Swiss Chard with Bacon & Garlic
by Reynaldo Quinones from Delgado Community College
Pepper Crusted Marsala Lamb
by Joel Klugiewicz from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Austin
Duo of Duck
by Qi Ai from Kendall College
Herb Crusted Roasted Rack of Lamb
by Charles Standridge from The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Dallas
Duck Madeira with Cauliflower "Couscous" and Swiss Chard
Presented by Haleigh Hocut from the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State University
Via mounted TV displays, guests saw the student competitors prep and plate their dishes during their allotted time. Once their clock ran out, each student exited the kitchen and provided a description of their plate in front of the judges and guests. After tasting multiple portions of duck and lamb, guests ultimately selected Qi Ai as the winner of the Central Regional competition for her sophisticated Duo of Duck dish.
A Beijing native, she currently trains under Chefs Carlos Gaytan ("Top Chef") and Frank Valdez at Mexique. Along with her Rising Star Chef mentor, Sarah Grueneberg, Ai will move onto the national competition in Napa Valley in March. She will be competing against four other regional winners for the title of 2015's Almost Famous Chef.
