In a world where gourmet food continues to spread beyond the walls of traditional restaurants to food trucks, pop-up restaurants, and farmer’s market stands, restaurant chefs continue to reinvent dishes. Often this means reimaining conventional ideas of food pairings, using new cooking techniques, and upgrading the dining environment to complement the food. Or they could just compete in our 11th annual Iron Skillet® Cook Off! On October 22, 2012 at Crimson Restaurant, five top restaurant chefs will reinterpret the original recipes of five superb firehouse chefs. Each year, World Cares Center sponsors the Iron Skillet® Cook Off as both a fundraiser for its ongoing emergency response training programs and as a way to celebrate the resilient communities that help their neighbors when disaster strike. The restaurant chefs know that the firehouse chefs will bring all their best cooking techniques and tasteful secrets. This year, the arsenal of professional, restaurant chefs is particularly competitive. While the firehouse chefs create the recipes, the restaurant chefs only know the name, bringing their own twist and creativity to the table and wowing the judges. Here is a small sample of the star-power of our restaurant chef competitors.
Chef Diane DiMeo, a Food Network Chopped winner and co-star of TLC’s world cuisine cooking show, Mission Menu, is taking New York by storm with her Bootleg Farms line of condiments (think artisanal pickles and sauces) and her new, highly-successful Bootleg pop-up restaurant. She will prepare her own rendition of Smothered Pork Chops. Chef Michael Carrino from Pig & Prince Restaurant has been a celebrated chef since a young age; he was inducted into the prestigious food and wine society, the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs™ at the age of 28. He knows how to reinvent the classics and will add his cooking flair to a Spicy Apple Pork dish. Chef Jack Koumbis of Assembly Steakhouse and Seafood Grill was the youngest Executive Chef within the Grand Bay Hotel hospitality company. His Englewood Cliffs restaurant is known as an elegant eatery with impeccable style and great steaks. Chef Koumbis will compete within his area of expertise, making White Lightening Surf & Turf that’s sure to wow. Our next chef is in charge of all the concession stands and lounge eateries at Yankee Stadium. Chef Matt Gibson, formerly an Executive Sous Chef at New York’s famed Spice Market restaurant, is currently the Executive Chef at Legends Hospitality – the sole food and beverage provider for the new Yankee Stadium. Chef Gibson will present a high-end, delicious take on Skirt Steak with Burgundy Cream Sauce. It’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser. From a New York classic we have Chef Dino Redzic from Uncle Paul’s Pizza. Given his background as both a butcher and a former Maitre’d at the James Beard House, Chef Redzic has learned to marry refined classic style with our country’s much beloved dish - pizza. Chef Redzic will prepare Skewers of Chicken and Sweet Potato with a Chipotle Sauce.
There’s still time to get a taste of these mouth-watering dishes.
