KMOX, Feast Magazine & Scape Restaurant on Maryland Plaza have joined forces to sponsor a Food Fight competition that entered its second week this evening. You can take the title with a grain of salt however, as this competition is of the kid-glove variety. The eight chefs competing in Round 1 last Monday & Tuesday nights (four competed each night) knew or knew of each other prior to the contest,and there was lots of friendly banter among them as things were getting organized.
Pictured above are Scape's Chef Eric Kelly and Brittany Zehr, marketing and public relations coordinator for Scape and Crepes. In the background is the "market" of ingredients made available to the chefs for use in their creations.
At the appointed hour last Tuesday Chef Kelly explained the rules of the competition to the contestants, including that they had 45 minutes to prepare their dish, using Diver scallops as the main ingredient. They were invited to take what they wanted from the huge selection of possible ingredients on the counter (shown in the first photograph) and were required to include Yuzu, a favorite citrus of Chef Kelly's, and Peruvian pepper, which were placed in baskets on each of four work stations. Both flavors were to be evident in the finished product.
The chefs participating were Carl Hazel (The Scottish Arms), Katie Lee (Katie's Pizza & Pasta Osteria), Adam Lambay (Grapevine Grill, Chaumette Vineyards in St. Genevieve), and Chris DiMecurio (Element). The spectators were invited to observe the chefs in action and ask questions while the chefs worked on their creations.
Feast Magazine Publisher Catherine Neville, above right, photographed with Chef Katie Lee is one of the judges of the event. Catherine, who was responsible for selecting the chefs, said she picked this group because she knew they could handle the pressure of the Food Fight.
Presumably the competitors were not aware what main ingredient they would be working with until the last minute. Shown in the beginning stages of creating his recipe are Adam Lambay, Executive Chef of Grapevine Grill at Chaumette Vineyards & Winery in St. Genevieve, and his sous chef.
Chris DiMecurio of Element seasoned scallops and cooked them at his station sous-vide (vacuumed sealed and in a heated water bath), far left below.
Other chefs wove through the crowd of onlookers as they hurriedly carried pans of scallops to the stove in the open kitchen at the far end of the Fountain Room at Scape.
Carl Hazel of CWE favorite The Scottish Arms and his assistant served their scallop with a delicious thin slice of bacon, below. Chef Hazel is shown slicing the meat above.
Each chef created a plate for the two judges (Catherine Neville & KMOX reporter Michael Calhoun) as well as the many guests. Katie Lee, above, put much time into arranging each individual plate. Katie served the scallops sliced lengthwise accompanied by a type of radish and Yuzu (the citrus mentioned earlier), shown below.
Each chef presented his/her entry and explained the process and ingredients to judges Michael Calhoun & Catherine Neville, above and below.
Since the judges were split as to which two chefs should win and be invited to advance to the semi-finals, the final decision was left to the attendees who also cast votes.
Winners in Tuesday night's Round 1 were Katie Lee, above, of Katie's Pizza & Pasta Osteria and,
Adam Lambay, left, of Grapevine Grill at Chaumette Vineyards & Winery.
Joining Lambay and Lee in the semi-finals tonight are winners of last Monday night's Round 1: Eric Brenner of Alumni St. Louis and Adam Gnau of Acero. The last chef standing will receive a $1000 prize.
Results of Semi-Finals Food Fight: Katie Lee and Adam Gnau will compete in the final round.
Click here for tickets, $65, for tonight, March 24 & the finals Monday, March 31. The event starts at 7, doors open at 6:30 and the final ballots are cast about 9 p.m. Ticket price includes appetizers, 4 delicious small plates created by competing chefs, 3 complimentary drinks, and a whole lot of fun!
Scape, 48 Maryland Plaza, (314) 361-7227.