Chefs Taste Challenge Announces Finalists

NEW ORLEANS - Ten chefs from across the country have been announced as finalists for the inaugural Farm to Table Chefs Taste Challenge (CTC), which takes place August 7, 2015 at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

·  Carmen Rodriguez,
Lake Arrowhead Resort & Spa
Lake Arrowhead, California
 

·  Craig Baker
Local Eatery & Pub
Indianapolis, Indiana
 

·  Elise Wiggins
Panzano
Denver, Colorado
 

·  Frank Brigtsen
Brigtsen’s Restaurant
New Orleans, Louisiana
 

·  Hari Pulapaka
Cress Restaurant
DeLand, Florida
 

·  Joel Navejas
The Farmhouse
Fort Collins, Colorado
 

·  Joshua Galliano
The Libertine
Clayton, Missouri
 

·  Matthew Farmer
Apolline Restaurant
New Orleans, Louisiana
 

·  Richard Jones
Green Door Gourmet
Nashville, Tennessee
 

·  Rocky Durham
Santa Fe Culinary Academy
Santa Fe, New Mexico

The finalists were revealed at a special event held May 20 at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum. The event featured a cooking demonstration by Chef Kevin Belton of New Orleans School of Cooking, and special appearance by Chef Sue Zemanick, Executive Chef of Gautreau’s. Both Chef Belton and Chef Zemanick will serve as judges for the August 7competition.

For the Chefs Taste Challenge, the ten chefs will compete to create the best dish that utilizes farm-fresh items from a pantry of seasonal ingredients. Items stocked in the pantry will be representative of ingredients that are in-season in regions across the country at the time of the competition.

Participating chefs’ dishes will be judged by a panel of industry-renowned judges. In addition to Chef Zemanick and Chef Belton, confirmed judges include Certified Master Chef Brad Barnes of the Culinary Institute of America, and Gary Prell, Vice President Culinary Development, Centerplate. The top two dishes will be selected for Gold and Silver Chefs Taste Challenge awards. A “Fan Favorite” award will also be presented based on voting from dinner attendees. All ten selected chefs will receive national recognition for their participation in the Chefs Taste Challenge dinner event.
The Chefs Taste Challenge is produced by the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, in partnership with the SoFAB Institute, the LSU AgCenter, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Centerplate, Chef’s Roll and Gambit. The CTC is held in conjunction with the Farm to Table International Conference, taking place August 8-10, 2015 at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. F2Ti explores the cultivation, distribution and consumption of food and drink sourced locally to globally. For more information on F2Ti, please visit www.f2t-int.com.