The Worcester’s Best Chef culinary competition will take place Sunday, January 31, 2010, at historic Union Station, from 4 to 8 p.m., with some exciting developments. “Some Iron Chef elements, like a live Mystery Basket final round, will be added to the event,” said Alina Eisenhauer, one of the competition’s judges and a featured chef on Food Network’s Chopped. Michael Giletto, a celebrity chef from Iron Chef America, Chopped, and the Tyra Banks Show, is one of many highly-accredited chefs that will sit on the panel this year alongside other culinary greats and food critics.
Last year’s winners included Judges’ Choice champion Laddavanh “Anna” Bouphavichith from Yama Zakura in Northboro and People’s Choice champ Wilson Wang from BABA Sushi in Worcester. They will be joined by several other top chefs, all competing in one of three categories, Fine Dining, Asian, and Dessert. The gourmets will all be preparing their very best, as this is no ordinary food show—”The chefs are coming to win and they are bringing their ‘A’ game,” said judge Stanley Nicas from the Culinary Institute of America and The Castle Restaurant. The judges’ criteria are based on those of the Culinary Institute of America, and results are audited and announced by Worcester-based CPA firm, Houssan Ojerholm, PC. Last year’s event saw the likes of stuffed lobster, King Crab, a fully skewered and slow-roasted lamb, caviar-filled sushi, stuffed fillet mignon, and much, much more.
The Worcester’s Best Chef culinary competition also features a full tasting of wines from throughout the world. Guests will also be trained in the art of “Champagne Sabering” by Sir Jeremy John Bell of Scotland, a master of uncorking $80 Perrier-Jouet French Champagne with a 4-foot saber. Sir Jeremy will also indulge guests in the history and tasting of Absinthe, an ancient liquor known as “The Green Fairy”, which inspired world-famous artists like Picasso and Matisse, as well as author Ernest Hemmingway. Guests will witness a Salsa, Cha-Cha and Merengue dance exhibition by the kings of Latin Swing, Salsa Storm, then they will cast their votes via text messaging after tasting the extraordinary delights, but not before they get some relaxing massage therapy courtesy of Theracopia of Soutboro.
Net proceeds will be donated to Worcester Technical High School’s College Scholarship Fund. The intent is to reward young culinary students who are talented and work hard, but don’t have the economic means to continue on to higher culinary education. Students are also paired with mentoring chefs during the competition for training purposes. “Supporting the culinary arts is a very important aspect of this event,” said Peter Crafts, director of technical education at Worcester Technical High School’s $93 million facility in Worcester. Mercury Media & Entertainment, the organizers of the event, plan to introduce a competition this year between the students of the many technical schools from throughout Massachusetts, called Massachusetts Best Student Chef. Worcester’s Best Chef will sell out, as it did last year. Sponsors include United States Army, Percy’s, WorcesterScene.com, Quality Business Graphics, Vantage Printing, WXLO, WCRN, and WSRS. Check out T&G press features and other information, and get $10 off when you buy 2 tickets at WorcestersBestChef.com.
Buy your tickets now, see pricing information at the Worcester’s Best Chef web site.
“Love ‘Em or Hate ‘Em: No Middle Ground with Heavy Red Wines”.
-by The Wine Guy
I run into a lot of people at wine tastings. All of them, not-so-surprisingly, have pretty strong opinions about certain matters of viticulture. When tasting heavy reds – or even medium-bodied reds – the two common reactions I get are these: “I LOVE this wine” or the more general statement, “I don’t like red wine”.
So why do people either love or hate red wine? Simple… it’s a matter of tannin.
Tannin is an acid that is found in the skin and seeds of red grapes. Often called “Tannins” and used in a plural vernacular, they impart a dry, dusty, chalky flavor when not properly balanced with ample berry fruit quality. It’s this “leathery” flavor that turns red wine drinkers on, and leaves white wine drinkers cold and distant.
Magnum P.I. used to say it often, “I know what you’re thinking…” Well, I DO know what you’re thinking: “I hate that dry taste; I wonder if I’ll ever warm-up to red wine,” or “Is there a red wine I could really get into – one without so much of that tannin stuff?”
The answers to both questions are – YES. The presence of tannin comes in degrees. If you’re “Tannin Intolerant”, you can simply ease into the big, dry reds by jumping into a lively, sweeter “transition” wine. Here’s my road map for those suffering from an aversion to ”cotton mouth”:
- If you like bubbly wines, try a sparkling Shiraz (“Paringa” is a good one). It shows sweetness with red fruit quality found in the Australian Shiraz – all tied together with effervescence.
- Get into a more serious red wine with a sweet profile…. Brachetto d’Acqui (pronounced Brah-ketto-dah-key). Made by Banfi Wines, this is loaded with sweet cherry and raspberry fruits. It’s out of this world (well… country, actually – it’s from Italy).
- A Merlot/Shiraz/Cab blend from Australia is terrific. They’re typically nice and smooth, with softer tannins and richer berry flavors.
- Try a Merlot from Sonoma, California. They’re usually crafted from “floor fruit”, or berries grown on vines under a lot of direct sun. The result is often a wine with great flavors of plum, cherry and soft oak. This is a pivotal wine for you, since you’ll be jumping into the more tannic wines from here.
- Get out of Dodge! Go for an imported wine with more tannin but one with nice fruit – Italy is best. Remember that you’re still trying to get used to tannin, so jump into a wine with softer tannin and a lot of concentrated berry flavor – a Sangiovese is great at this point.
- Let go of the side of the pool. It’s time… you need to open up a Cab. Go for big and rich, dark and decadent, full and brooding. Napa or Lodi regions of California are the best places for these terrific, tantalizing wines. But, for the love of Bacchus, have them with a hearty entrée – don’t drink Cab alone! It’s like walking through the Combat Zone along at night – you’re just looking for trouble!
There is another way to go about this. GO TO A WINE TASTING! It’s the perfect way to try wines for free. You get to see what you like and, more importantly, what you DON’T like. Where: Thirsty Thursdays at KJ Baaron’s, Washington Square, Worcester, last Thursday of the month, 6 to 8 p.m. with me, The Wine Guy.
-WG.
Fling Into Spring Worcester-Style
Contest Provides One Lucky Winner and Guest a Chance to Enjoy a Complementary Night Out in Worcester
The Fling Into Spring contest has expanded WorcesterScene.com’s primary purpose of acting as a Worcester resource into a highly contested chance for one lucky winner to experience the city. Luke M. Vaillancourt, the site’s founder, has personally selected some of Worcester’s finest establishments to make April 30th a night to remember. Starting March 1st through March 31st visitors can sign-up for their chance to win:
- Transportation for 2 for the evening
- Dinner for 2 compliments of Grille 57 Steakhouse
- A gift card for Coffee and Dessert provided by Allgos: Sweets and Drinks
- A personal hair cut/style at Rinse Hair Lounge
- A $100 gift card to Tush: A Denim Boutique
- Two tickets to the Worcester Historical Museum
- A free Worcester pronounciation T-Shirt provided by Worcester Historical Museum
- A Free Salsa Session (6-weeks) for one provided by Salsa Storm
- Night’s accommodations provided by Crowne Plaza Worcester
Vaillancourt says, “These businesses have come together to provide a night of entertainment that the winner and guest will be certain to remember.” He adds, “It is tremendous to see the amount of growth that has happened in the city—especially in today’s economy. Given these consumer challenges, businesses are forced to be more creative to developing experiences geared to retain and grow their customer base.”
While WorcesterScene.com has been providing a web presence for Worcester area businesses, large and small, Vaillancourt is thinking of long-term strategies for future growth. He explains, “The site’s attendance has doubled each month since it’s launch. I’ve found that while some visitors have dubbed the site the ‘yellow pages on steroids,’ WorcesterScene.com must continue to seek additional venues to engage its audience.” In December, WorcesterScene.com embraced a new mode to disseminate information to its 2,000 unique monthly visitors and 2,500 e-mail (SceneAlert) subscribers: monthly video segments featuring notable Worcester personalities. Domenic Mercurio (Mercury Media), Mark Piscillo (Victory Bar and Cigar), Laura Briere (Vision Advertising), and Christina Andrianopoulos (The Omega Group) partnered with WorcesterScene.com to create brief videos about topics that they hold dear to their heart—Wine, cigars, restaurants, and style.
Over the past year, WorcesterScene.com has proliferated into a daily resource that it’s visitors access from the web site, Facebook group, and on the go via their mobile device. With WorcesterScene.com’s popularity growing stronger each day, Vaillancourt thinks that the Fling Into Spring will be the start of the next chapter in WorcesterScene.com’s city presence. For more information, or to register for your chance to win the Fling Into Spring, please visit: http://www.WorcesterScene.com/contest
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Time is running out…with the competition this Sunday you will want to order on-line to save $10 off the at-the-door price ($40, versus $50)….order using the coupon code “VIP” you’ll get your ticket for $30!
From their web site:
In January of 2007, the first annual Worcester’s Best Chef (WBC) took Central Massachusetts by storm with overwhelming success that echoed on the lips of the spectators and restaurateurs for months thereafter. Held at Historic Union Station, the event sold out quickly and the crowds surged. The public was treated not only to the very best cuisine the region had to offer, but also was delighted by an wine tastings, a fashion show, an educational champagne sabering, a scotch tasting by Chivas Regal, a Port wine tasting from Sandemans, chair massages and a live jazz ensemble as well as a DJ.
The feedback from last year was consistent with one main element – the event was almost too successful. With the crowd at a staggering 1,500 guests, the normally airy venue was wall-to-wall with people.
The WBC board of directors is working diligently to surpass the standard of quality that was set in the first year through the amazing cuisine, indulgent tastings and live entertainment, “but”, says Board Vice Chair Christine Zecker, “We are trying to limit ticket sales to 1,000 in order to ensure that everyone has plenty of room to move around and thoroughly enjoy the evening.” Further, to minimize entrance lines and guarantee admittance, $10 discounts for advanced ticket sales online are being offered. Just enter discount code “VIP” by September 21st.
There have also been a few changes put into the lineup for WBC’s second annual event. The first is a new location: the lovely and spacious Worcester Technical High School. Beyond that, there is greater staff capacity to ensure minimal lines, easy parking, as well as increased wait staff. Additionally, guests can look forward to complimentary chair messages, knife and flame juggling, dance exhibitions by Salsa Storm, Champagne Sabering with Perrier-Jouet, terrific wine and Port tastings, music, and more.
WBC Executive Producer Domenic Mercurio, Jr., says, “We are very excited about this year’s event and fully expect it to sell out. Providing our guests the ultimate level of comfort, relaxation and enjoyment that evening is our primary objective. We intend to close ticket sales before the night of the event and we cannot promise tickets at the door, so we’re urging guests to pre-purchase online.”
On Sunday, September 28, 2008, Worcester’s Best Chefs will defend their “WBC” titles at the second annual Worcester’s Best Chef, as other culinary experts vie to dethrone king pins Chris Rovezzi (Rovezzi’s Restaurant) and Wilson Wang (Ba Ba Sushi). Rovezzi and Wang have been featured together on television and radio programming recently and they are both very determined to retain their titles.
Don’t miss your chance to vote for your favorite Chef. Reserve your tickets online at www.WorcestersBestChef.com. Ten-dollar discounts available by entering discount code “VIP” in the purchase tickets tab, for a total price of $30 versus $50 at the door.
