Seemed Simple Enough?

Friend or Foe........ Just ask Laura's Chefs

Wednesday May 20ths Competition brought the 2009 Bravo Top Chef Competizion Regional contests to a close. A bright sunny day at Zona Rosa in Kansas City , Mo. The competition, from a chef perspective, was stated as difficult with the medium being Wood Oven. Laura Tappen’s Chefs converged on the store with one thing in mind. Why does Chef Harding hate us for giving us Wood Oven?

Well, team, I don’t, however I do think that we have a competitive advantage to our business that we need to capitalize on. It was also apparent from the dishes, with the range of diversity that we really have some great talent in our ranks.

First out of the gate was the Host Chef Shon “P90X”Mickels with his great appetizer entitled “Celebrare l’ Aglio or a Celebration of Garlic – Not the flavor of raw garlic; but the flavor of sweet, soft, caramelized garlic, and bright Garlic. With a fall apart butter soft head of garlic, crisp Ciabatta bread; roasted peppers and toasted garlic; Boursin and Pesto and he paired it with the Ruffino Chianti Superior – The panel of judges was very impressed with his pairing.

Next came Chef Michael Timm from Leawood with his wood fired Pancetta wrapped shrimp with shaved fennel, arugula, and a roasted red pepper Tuscan vinaigrette. Five tender 13-15 shrimp crispy and good and fresh from the oven and draped over the salad of fennel, apple and arugula. Spectacular! In flavors and presentation

Chef Zack Osborne from Oklahoma City and his dish of Wood Roasted Chicken with Apple Honey Chicken Demi and Sweet Potato Bread Pudding and OMG *(sorry, appropriate adjectives are forbidden, this is a family page) Braised Red Swiss Chard, was just as he promised – super crispy, the chard was out of this world and the sauce, as Zack said, alone would be worthy of the whole price of the dish……………….It was……..He cooked the chicken from a raw state in 8 minutes! Breast and Boneless thigh!!!!!!!!!!!

Britt Sonnier of Baton Rouge injected a little southern Louisiana into Tuscany with his shrimp Calzone – Our crisp and delicious pizza dough wrapped around a Italian Shrimp Etouffee sauce that was thick with shrimp and peppers and several secret ingredients that he refused to comment on…..The guests really loved this dish, and interestingly it received the most nostalgic comments from the guests.

I thought it showed just how powerful that memory is tied with food.

Chef Jarred Bissell l brought the most adventurous dish to the competition with his Texas Hillbilly Fire Roasted Figs. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t in heaven when I ate it……Texas Fresh Figs with wrapped in a Phyllo and boursin cheese purse, Sliced Proscuitto Di Parma, Popcorn Sprouts (tiny 2 inch long corn sprouts) Micro Greens and the plate was garnished with a Tawny Port Reduction and a Saffron Vinaigrette. It Really Worked and the sweetness played so well with the vinegar. Unfortunately he got torpedoed by one, then two of the judges. Sorry Charlie..........

I am very excited and invigorated by the chance to see all of our chefs , We are and should always be PROUD of the food we cook and serve for our guests. In this age of what can we take away from the guest so we can make some or any money we haven't done that!......

We continue to do just the opposite, we are running into the proverbial house on fire. With your excellence in running your businesses we CAN afford to use reggiano cheese, Porcini Mushrooms, Proscuitto di Parma, and all the things that truly give us the ability to say we use better food than anyone.

Thank You for all your commitment and hard work; making this the company I have been proud to call my home for so long.

*OMG is like LOL , something best left to young people

Almost To The Finals.........

Number 5 of 6.

5/6ths........ kind of a strange part of the whole.

Glendale Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee.

Gary Ertl - District Partner & Eazy Swarthout and
Chef Chris Endress's home store, Number 59 opened November 2, 2006....



The day started off like one in early spring, the tulips are just in full bloom in Wisconsin..... Jason Kapela woke up that morning and drove from West Des Moines Iowa. Phil Pomykalski drove in from Evanston, Illinois.

John Leonard had flown in the night before from Virginia Beach as so did Mike Seigman from Greensboro

Tony Evans came from the west side of Milwaukee stopping at his store Brookfield before getting here.


John Leonard started off the competition strong with a Italian take on a fish sandwich. His Piccolo Pesce Calzoni! It was very fresh and summery with a good bit of heat. It looked reminiscent of a fish taco - it was awesome.

Chef Jason Kapela came out next and presented Manzo Italiano a great cross between a Philli cheese steak sandwich and a Chicago Hot Beef sandwich - as usual chef, running it all the way to the top, pickled his own peppers and added pictures in his presentation of his daughter enjoying the dish!

Tony Evans from Brookfield came next with his dish of Wood Oven Roasted Chicken cooked over a can of pineapple juice (think beer can chicken) with Risotto Pancetta cake that was like a gratin - Super Yummy! Chef used the Tomato Dipping concentrate for the base of his chicken. Chef scored two first place votes for his entry

Chef Chris Endress who, almost didn't make the competition delivered a straight forward plate entitled Lavosh Stromboli - using our lavosh bread to make the Stromboli with Shaved Chicken, Provolone Cheese, Boursin, fresh Tomatoes and Oregano - His entry offered the ability to customize the side - (a big guest favorite)

Chef Pomykalski delivered the most amazing looking Calzone, Steak Pepperenata Calzone
a fresh pizza dough wrapped around Filet Mignon, Red and Green peppers, and Banana Peppers for heat - It looked Awesome.

Chef Mike Seigman followed up with a not so traditional pizza called Bistecca Pizza, with cooked tenderloin, Greco Sauce, Roasted Roma Tomatoes and fresh Cilantro - the Judges LOVED this item with the cilantro that set the dish off in the right note.

In the end it was a tough contest - With Chef Jason Taking Top Honors and a right to compete in the finals in Columbus on the 16th of July.

Chef Phil took second place and will cast his vote for Bravo's Top Chef on that same date.

Chef John Leonard finished out the top three.

Thanks to Chef Chris Endress and the entire team at Bayshore for hosting the event, Thanks to all the chefs and the home teams that let them compete and to our last regional competition next week in Zona Rosa.

Entree to the Big Event

The setting was West Chester, Ohio April 30th.

Lou Rio's Regional contest and his chefs.

Chef Miguel Rodriguez from West Nyack, Ny and his entry of Tuscan Arctic Char set off the intense competition for the 4th coveted spot at the Bravo Culinary Competizions' Top Chef Event July 15th and 16th in Columbus Ohio. He pulled out all the stops on his dish of Arctic Char with Wilted Spinach, Poached Egg, Chianti Glaze with a Morel and Chanterelle Mushroom Sauce. He even went as far as getting fresh Chanterelles!!, They were delicious!!!

Next out was the Host store West Chester and Chef Juan Romo's Polenta Crusted Pork Tenderloin. Italy's most common comfort food transformed in the dish that almost took second place (missed by .2)3-3oz pork medallions breaded with a polenta and wondra flour crust, mush like a schnitzel and served with a fresh and piquant salad of Julienned and pickled summer vegetables, and a honey pepper vinaigrette. Very nontraditional but the Judges LOVED it!! Really Unique


Chef Rich Schnell from Knoxville , scratch that, North Lake (Charlotte) hit the judges with his version of Bravo Sausage and Artichoke Manicotti - Tender, with two fillings and decorated with the colors of the Italian flag. visually very exciting. He took the dish one step further and had a Lunch and Dinner version. He scored high points for his presentation and the simplicity of the execution.

Mentor Ohio's Chef Maurice Thornhill's dish of Pesche E Patate was unique and complete. Enough to score this first time Chef a second place finish and secure him a spot at the judges table in July! Pan Fried Tilapia light seasoned and served on a bed of white beans, pancetta and shallots in a light lobster broth and a great twist on lemon vinaigrette with puree parsley, lemon juice and Extra Virgin OO


Cincinnati Ohio, #6, reborn as Deerfield and it's Chef Maynor Hernandez dish of Roasted Pork Tenderloin. It was very vegetable centric dish with a a bed of grilled sliced eggplant topped with a saute of Diced red peppers, Sweet Potatoes, Fresh Rosemary and Sage. The sauce was a lobster broth with feta and basil.


Last came Chagrin Falls (Eton) Bravo Chef Anthony Phenis Our Winner!!!

His dish was a Tuscan Veal Chop. It was landed on a bed of Pine Nut Creamed Spinach, White Truffle Crostini, Caramelized Shallot Marmelatta and Crispy Pancetta. It wowed the Judges on it's flavor profile and the sheer luxury of the dish


Congratulations to our Chefs, Special thanks to Lou Rio, Matthew Schmidt, our judges and the entire team at West Chester....

By the way, the veal was poke you eye out good.............

There's Always Redemption..............

It is true that with some things in life the moment comes and goes and then there you are with the result, permanent and ever unchanging....However, sometimes life affords you that rare opportunity... that second chance..... to make a new history on where you have unfinished business.

For Chef Eric Carter that day was this past Thursday April 23, 2009 in Dayton, Ohio at Store number 4 (ish).

That's the day that Eric (finally) took top spot in his regions Chef Competizion!!!!!!!!

Chef Brian Flowers of Louisville went first, his dish of Crab and Scallop Mousse with Tomato and Pesto Couscous. The dish had great flavor of scallop and for me the Israeli Couscous fantastic, with flavors of pomodoro and pesto mixed together, Tim had also commented about the fantastic flavors of that dish

Next up was Canton, Ohio's Chef Jorge Martinez's Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Red Peppers, Asparagus and a Red Wine Mustard Cream Sauce. Great flavors! The Judges loved the sauce and the colors on the plate, an A+ dish.

Bethel Roads Chef Mark Grant's entry was Couscous Crusted Halibut with Herb Cappelini, Spinach and Lemon. Loved the couscous crust on the halibut. the cappelini was formed into a cake and pan fried crispy and delicious, topped with spinach sauteed in applewood smoked bacon and then topped with the halibut, it was a great symphony between bold and subtle flavors.

Our 2nd place finisher and Chef Competizion Judge in July Chef Leonard Hines entry from Akron Ohio was Halibut Salvia - with the best (and most pandering) presentation to the judges of the day. Chef had paired the Simi Sauvignon Blanc to accompany the dish and poured some for the judges to try with the dish. The bed of the dish was the roasted butternut squash risotto with arugula topped by the sage studded and pancetta wrapped halibut and brown butter sauce. Just a great presentation...

Next was Jeremy Fultz, one of newest chefs at Bravo Franklin Park placing Third with his Cajun Dusted Tuna with Grilled Tomatoes, Asparagus and Pesto Butter Sauce and Crispy Red Onions. The Judges loved this dish....

Our gracious host at Dayton, Curtis Sizemore was the second to last to go with Chicken Scallopini Margherita, the most health conscious dish of the competizion. Seared chicken scallopini topped with fresh mozzarella, roasted roma tomatoes, fresh basil and served with roasted redskin potatoes and a small arugula salad. really fresh, light and healthy!!

It had been a long competition with Eric drawing last spot to present to the judges, typically not the best spot, The judges are full, their pallets fatigued and the tend to be "Fooded Out."

His dish of Veal Bracciole Parmesan with Gnocchi and Sausage was a great dish in design and flavor, with a delicate stuffing made from artichokes, sausage, feta and tomato around veal scallopini that was breaded and fried on a bed of gnocchi with spinach and marinara

I don't exactly know the moment that the room changed, but I noticed after 10 or so seconds, he had the room, he had the judges......


Eric had made up for his 2nd place finish in the first annual Chef Competizion in Livonia when to the amazement of Woody, Tim and Myself he did not take the top spot. Sometimes we get a chance to make thing right.


July 16th, In Columbus we will see if Eric can take Redemption Airlines all the way to Italy............

We Are Experiencing Technical Difficulties

I apologize for the not having all the chefs photographs posted, especially Michael Meyer. We had a camera malfunction and should have those pictures retrieved and the rest of the dishes posted next week.

Another Time Around.......

Michael Minch - Chef, wine enthusiast, winner of the second Bravo 2009 Top Chef Competizion Contest and finalist for the second year in a row......

Tuesday morning at Fairlawn Town Center in Dearborn Michigan we had Woody and Tim's Chefs for another battle of appetizers.

The short straw was drawn by Jim Konerth from Buffalo.. He started off by presenting it was combination of roasted Anaheim peppers and crab meat rolled into a spiral and baked topped with breadcrumbs

Next came Greenwood, Indiana's Chef Demetrio Estrada with the Crab Stuffed Grilled Calamari with a Balsamic Citrus sauce, Delicious and chef, at the last minute, had decided to change the sauce on the bottom of the calamari. It was a great balance to the richness of the stuffed calamari

Chef Jack Sekeres of Lansing laid down a supreme dish of Prosciutto Wrapped and Roasted Giant Shrimp with Polenta, Portobello Mushrooms and Arugula. I liked this dish very much from the intricate look of the dish but it was componently easy to assemble. He finished second this year and will be in Columbus to judge the final!!

Chef Rick Rodriguez (Livonia) brought Crispy Stuffed Mushrooms to the party. This dish was very well recieved and was a favorite. As one judge put it "I don't like mushrooms and I like this dish". First breaded and fried then stuffed the pick up was quick and the flavor was incredible.

Chef Mark Daverio from Rochester Hills also did a stuffed calamari, this one had a sausage stuffing, then grilled and sliced on a small bed of Mariniara sauce and surrounded by a boldly flavored saffron sauce.

Livonia's Chef Michael Meyer's Judging panel favorite of Mediterranean inspired Sesame Crusted and Seared Tuna with an Orange, Red Bell Pepper and Mesclun Salad with Orange Balsamic was our third place winner seperated by .2 of a point.


Raul Sanchez's of Bravo #2 (Castleton) Entry of Grilled Scallops with a portobello mushroom and potato salad was, I think, the days boldest move. Garnished with crispy pasta, pesto and the palate cleansing creamy vinaigrette, It ate very light and had a great flavor profile.

In the end It was Mike Minch with his Fireside Scallops. His presentation with the carved out wooden log that held the Lodge cast iron cookware. The dish was comprised of sliced scallops wrapped in speck (Produced in Alto Adige, the German-speaking province in Balzano, Speck received its name from the German word for bacon) and cooked in a Limoncello and scampi butter in the iron skillet topped with fried beet chips.

Two down and four more to go, look for Thursdays post later..............

We Have a Winner?

Chef Joe wondering, where is the love?

Controversy surrounded round one of Bravo's Top Chef Competizion in Pittsburgh at the Cranberry Bravo on the late morning of April 16th.

We had a tie between Chef Joe Vavrek of Crosswoods with his Pan Roasted Salmon cakes, Spring Pea Salad and Herbed Aioli and Chef Mike (a.k.a. Biggie) Kyle of Waterfronts' Fruitta Griglia. His dish of grilled Woodburn Farms peaches with balsamic vinegar, Proscuitto di Parma and Boursin Cheese was simply and perfectly executed.

As always we removed the high and low scores, they tied. We removed the second lowest score, Biggies threatening glance to all those whom oppose him.

They tied!!!!!........
We removed the second highest score and we finally had a winner!!! Chef Biggie. Representing Pittsburgh for the second time in three years!



Of the three scores between, Joe, Biggie and Liel there were .19 of a point difference......

The quality of your presentation will save your bacon if something goes slightly wrong.

In the subbattle that took place we were calling "Iron Chef Battle Funghi" chefs Robert Stackhouse of Galleria and Chef Leil Owens of Robinson, our second runner up, duked it out over stuffed mushroom presentations. Chef Norm Scarberry of McKnight bucked the trend by creating a great light dish with proscuitto wrapped scallops and a fresh and vibrant couscous salad.

Congratulations to all those who competed and those who had to sacrifice so our chefs could compete. Special thanks to Rich and Hope from Cranberry who orchestrated the environment like it was the academy awards!!


Next week brings two competitions, The first one In Michigan with Tim and Woody's regions followed by Lance's region on Thursday in Dayton.

This years competition has an added element to it......All runners up are also invited to Columbus, to JUDGE the final competition on the 15th and 16th of July at the home office!!