Monday, June 7, 2010

Tomato Deliciousness


The Ingredient; Italian Tomatoes
The judgment; pure deliciousness!

This past week on Thursday June 3rd 2010 the Regional cook offs of the Bravo Chef Competition came to a close in Bravo Summit; the Bravo located in Akron Ohio is where the chefs from Joe Isbell’s region came to compete.
This was some of the most inventive and best tasting food in the contest!.….
First to draw the short straw was Jorge Martinez from Bravo Canton Ohio with his version of Roasted Tomato Zuppa; Roasted plum tomatoes and fresh tomatoes with a touch of garlic, cream and roasted vegetables, super concentrated flavor! Chef paired it with a roasted eggplant, Portobello mushroom, sandwich spread with a honeyed mustard and goat cheese spread.

Next up was Chef Leonard Hines from the Bravo Summit Mall location. His dish of Pollo Pomodoro e Formaggio was such a simple title for a fantastic dish. Two chicken breasts stuffed with Roasted Roma Tomatoes and Goat Cheese, the breasts were sautéed until done and served atop a Roasted Tomato Sauce Risotto tossed with some goats’ cheese. Chef paired that dish with Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay.


Jim Konerth from Bravo Walden in Cheektowaga NY came ready to challenge with his dish of Warm Potato Salad under Spinach and Fontina Stuffed Chicken with Eggplant Ragout. Chef made a hearty potato salad tossed with Capers, Red onions, Kalamata Olives and Red Wine Vinegar, then he placed a chicken breast on top of it that was pounded and stuffed with Spinach, Onion , Parmesan and Fontina. He then topped it with a rich sauce made from Italian Tomatoes and Roasted Eggplant. 




Maurice  (Mo) Thornhill presented a very unique dish. It was Torte di pomodoro con il fromaggio e le cippole or for those of us to whom Italian is not a well know language that Italian Plum Tomato Tart with Field Greens and Tomato Sorbet topped with Balsamic Dressing. Mo made his own crust, spiking it with cayenne along the way.

Next Up was Chef Andrew Higgins from Mentor Ohio with his dish of Stuffed plum Pomodori. Canned plums carefully drained and seeded, stuffed with Fontina, Boursin and Oregano, breaded, fried crisp and placed on a bed of Marinara – made from…….You guessed it Italian Plum Tomatoes.

First Timer Louis Lake was next representing Bravo Toledo. His dish was Pasta Cotta Del Pomodoro or his version of a baked pasta. Chef focused on low use items for the contest with his pasta filling coming from Italian Tomatoes, Red Bell Peppers, Asparagus, oregano and Gorgonzola. The flavors that he coaxed from the dish were very good, big comments from the Judging panel on sticking to the criteria.
 Loenard Hines-Akron, Jim Konerth-Buffalo, Jorge Martinez-Canton, Maurice Thornhill-Cleveland, Louis Lake -Toledo, Andrew Higgins-Mentor.
After congratulating all the chefs we announced the last bravo top regional contest winner......
Joe tallied the scores and the top three were announced.

 Andrew Higgins, Leonard Hines and Maurice Thornhill stepped up.



Second runner up was Leonard Hines of Summit (Akron)
Runner up Mo Thornhill from Eton

 Andrew Higgins from Mentor took the top prize and earned the last spot in July at the finals.

 
Congratulations to Andrew, John, Carol, Cassie, Jason and Maynor. I look forward to seeing all the chefs compete for bragging rights on whom will be Bravo’s 2010 Top Chef!
May the best chef win!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Number 5 of 6. 

June 1st 2010 in Orlando Florida, a warm and slightly humid day of 96 Degrees Fahrenheit is what greeted the chefs at Lance Juhas’s regional Competition.


This is the week of the tomato. Later this week on Thursday the remaining chefs will compete in Akron Ohio.
L to R; 
Eric Carter, Carol Scott, Brian Flowers, Juan Romo, Eddie Franko, Zach Osborne, Curtis Sizemore and Steven Fusaro

The Order of drawing was pulled from the hat with Westchester Ohio’s Juan Romo going first. Juan presented a dish of Tomato Tomatoes Braised Osso Bucco with Fresh Fettuccini, Roasted Vegetables and Reggiano Parmesan. He chose the front shanks for their presentation of the dish.


































Next came Steven Fusaro, Bravo Naples (Mercato) Chef. His dish of Uova in Purgatorio was one of the best uses of the ingredient. It was a dish he learned from his Grandmother , basically taking last nights tomato sauce and baking eggs in it. It was delish…






















 
Dellagio’s Chef and our host Eric Carter was third up. His dish of Braised Osso Bucco with Tomatoes and Egg Fettuccini sounds like Juan’s but just the opposite. Chef focused not only on the tomato component but he infused his newfound love of sweet roasted Cippolini onions into the dish as a perfect foil to the tang of the tomato.



Dayton Ohio’s Executive Chef Curtis Sizemore offered up his take on baked shrimp with Parmesan Crusted Jumbo Shrimp with a Tomato and Leek Ragout. He started out with U-15 Shrimp and roasted them in the shell to assure moisture and flavor, topping them with Parmesan Bread Crumbs. He placed them on a bed of Bruschetta bread and that sauce – so simple, but so perfectly balanced. It had chili flake in it with fresh thyme and basil mixed in with the leeks. Really a well designed dish.

Notice Lance in the background double checking some of the chefs spelling……






Zach Osborne – Executive Chef Bravo Memorial Square in Oklahoma City was up next and really impressed the judges with his Bisteca al Fonduta. Two pan seared beef medallions topped with a Italian plum tomato, served with housemade black pepper and tomato pasta tossed with Roasted Italian Tomatoes and Roasted Fennel. Anyone who knows what a Shun is will also know that Fennel and Tomato is a match made in heaven. Chef also took some of his “scrap” pasta and fried it so there was a contrast in the fresh and different texture.






Brian Flowers Executive Chef at Bravo Louisville was out next and came at the judges with Plum Tomato Trio; A combination of soup, appetizer and sandwich. Chef made a roasted plum tomato and red onion Bruschetta and topped it with Cappicola and goats cheese. He also presented his version of a Manhattan clam chowder and finished the dish with a fried plum tomato slider with a roasted garlic and chive cream cheese and fresh arugula.







Carol Scott Executive Chef at Bravo Knoxville in her first contest knocked the judges out with her “Roulade of Veal”. Pan seared veal filled with Prosciutto Buffalo Mozzarella and Parmesan Cheese. It was served over Caramelized Onions and Grilled Asparagus. It was finished with a Roasted Tomato Marsala sauce.



The coveted spot of the last contestant of the day was Chef Eddie Franko from La Cantera Bravo in San Antonio Texas. He was keen in letting the judges know why they thought his dish should win. Yes, you read that right. Chefs dish was simple in execution using Barilla’s Campanelle Pasta in the dish he called Shrimp Primavera. Italian Plum Tomatoes were the base of this dish and tossed in were Red Bell Peppers, Asparagus, Shrimp, Fennel and topped with some breadcrumbs for texture. The judges were looking for a bread spoon to soak up the juices.




The judges decisions were close. A HALF POINT separated the first from third place.

2nd Runner up was Steven Fusaro from Naples

Runner up was Eddie Franko from La Cantera

And the winner….. CAROL SCOTT from Knoxville!

Congratulations to Carol, Eddie, Steven and the rest of the Chefs!

See you after Akron!