Posted Jan. 29, 2010
Chef Barry Greenberg of the University of Iowa Dining Services was awarded first place honors – Chef Par Excellence - in the Iowa Pork Producers Association’s annual Taste of Elegance restaurant competition Jan. 25 in Des Moines.
The Taste of Elegance is a culinary competition designed to inspire innovative and exciting ways to menu pork. This event brings together talented chefs from across Iowa for an elegant occasion that highlights pork and its popularity as a menu favorite.
“If you look at the chefs who competed in this year’s contest, you can see that institutional food service is becoming more popular in the white-table cloth restaurant experience,” said Nelda Christian, member of the IPPA Restaurant & Foodservice Committee. Our first place winner shows that you can now experience excellent, top-notch pork entrees anywhere in Iowa.”
Chef Greenberg won the $1,000 top prize in the competition with his “Trio of Asian Pork: Pomegranate Barbecued St. Louis Style Ribs on Grilled Asparagus Slaw, Sherry Glazed Pork Belly with Sushi Rice Cake, and Spicy Pork Dumpling with Pork and Lemongrass Consomme.”
Second place honors – Superior Chef – and $500 went to Chef Angie Kirton of Absolute Flavors/Smokey D’s BBQ in Des Moines, for her “Smoked Roast of Pork with Country Style Pork Hash and Vinegar Slaw.” Third place – Premier Chef – and a $250 cash prize went to Chef Cydney Koehn from Catering by Cyd in Johnston and the Hy-Vee Conference Center in West Des Moines for her plate “Pork Osso Buco Di Miale.”
Chef Koehn also won the coveted “People’s Choice” Award, along with $250 for her pork recipe.
Each chef was required to use a fresh pork cut in an original entrée. Honors were awarded on taste, appearance and originality by a panel of Des Moines-area judges.
As the winner of the Iowa competition, Chef Greenberg will be invited to the National Pork Board’s National Taste of Elegance competition this June in Baltimore, MD.
Iowa wineries that showcased some of their fine Iowa wines at the Taste of Elegance reception were Grape Escape Vineyard and Winery from Pleasantville and Madison County Winery from St. Charles.
“Although the Iowa winter storm took out most of our reception guests, we still had a tremendous showing of brilliant Iowa chefs who braved the weather to compete in our contest,” Christian stated.
The 2010 IPPA Taste of Elegance competition was held at the Des Moines Marriott and kicked off the 38th annual Iowa Pork Congress.
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