|
Christopher Meyers, Ferrari’s Ristorante Awarded First
Place,
Chefs from Des Moines, Polk City, and Council Bluffs
also Honored
Des Moines, Iowa (November 26, 2007) – Eight chefs from across Iowa faced
off in the kitchen of the Meadows Event Center in Altoona, on Sunday, November 4
in an annual culinary competition hosted by the Iowa Restaurant Association
(IRA) and sponsored by the Iowa Beef Industry Council and the Soyfoods Council.
The challenge before each chef was to prepare and present a unique culinary
creation encompassing beef and a soy side dish. This one-of-a-kind competition
is held annually in conjunction with Celebrating Excellence, the IRA’s Annual
Awards Gala. Chef Christopher Meyers, from Ferrari’s Ristorante in Cedar Falls,
took top honors in the competition with his presentation of “soynut encrusted
petite tender, served with miso chipotle barbeque sauce, edamame succotash, and
mashed sweet potatoes with soy and hazelnut butter.” Meyers received a $1,000
cash prize.
Choice of Beef Cut
Each chef presented an entrée using one of three cuts of beef—petite
tender, beef loin top sirloin or flat iron steak—with a soy side dish. Dishes
were judged for appearance, taste, tenderness, texture and product use, overall
creativity, and practicality. The chefs were given 15 minutes to present their
dishes to the panel of expert judges in a blind tasting format.
As part of the Celebrating Excellence Gala, the chefs also
served samples of their competition dishes to the 250+ attendees of the awards
event. Event attendees then cast their votes for the “People’s Choice” award.
The People’s Choice winner was Chef Matt Pierson of Trostel’s Dish in Clive. His
“ancho chili rubbed petite shoulder tender, cilantro soy pesto tofu whipped
potatoes, and smoked tomato hollandaise and tejas caviar” was the crowd
favorite. Pierson received a $250 cash prize.
Malag and Colello Place
Others who placed in the formal competition were Chef Ephraim Malag, of
Tournament Club of Iowa in Polk City, who served “Asian spice marinated top
sirloin pan-seared served with edamame and tempeh suttong, steamed coconut curry
jasmine rice with a hint of lemongrass.” Chef Chris Colello, of 360 Steakhouse
in Council Bluffs, placed third with his dish which featured “grilled flat iron
steak set upon grilled tuscan bread and smothered in an Iowa Maytag bleu cheese
cream and topped with sweet and sour shitakes.” His side dish was “layers of
soybean crusted tofu and caramelized onions in a rich soy milk mornay sauce
topped with melted soy romano cheese and roasted soy beans.” Malag and Colelo
received $500 and $250 cash prizes respectively.
“Every year it’s gets tougher to judge this competition,”
said Doni DeNucci, president and CEO of the Iowa Restaurant Association. “Adding
the element of a soy side dish to this year’s competition resulted in an even
greater variety and quality of dishes. It reminds us of the many outstanding
restaurant choices Iowans have as they dine out across the state.”
About the Iowa Restaurant Association
Headquartered in Des Moines, the Iowa Restaurant Association is the
professional association of the restaurant and retail beverage industries in
Iowa. In addition to representing the industries’ legislative concerns, the Iowa
Restaurant Association provides industry training programs, and works to help
its members to operate efficiently, safely, and profitably and to promote
quality and professionalism in the industry. For more information, visit our Web
site at
www.restaurantiowa.com.
# # #
Media Contacts:
Jessica Dunker
Iowa Restaurant Association
515-
202-6786
jessica@dunker.com
Michelle Baumhover
Iowa Beef Industry Council
515-296-2305
michelle@iabeef.org
© Copyright Iowa Restaurant Association 2006
|
