Chef Shad Kirton of Absolute Flavors Catering in Des Moines was awarded first place honors - Chef Par Excellence - in the Iowa Pork Producers Association's annual Taste of Elegance restaurant competition Jan. 21 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.

"This year we had an excellent contest," said Nelda Christian, chairperson of the IPPA Restaurant and Foodservice Committee. "Because of the inclement weather, we only had nine chefs participate, but they put a tremendous amount of effort into preparing these dishes and promoting pork in their own restaurants. We are happy to promote them and their restaurants through this annual competition. It was a successful contest once again."

Chef Kirton won the $1,000 top prize in the competition with his "Maple Bourbon Glazed Ribs."

Second place honors - Superior Chef - and $500 went to Chef Ephraim Malag of Oak View in Polk City, for his "Lily Suttong Pork with Crispy Gyoza." It was Malag's second consecutive 2nd place finish in the IPPA Taste of Elegance. Third place - Premier Chef - and a $250 cash prize went to Chef Cydney Koehn-Mull from Cyd's Catering, LLC, in Johnston for her plate "Pork: The Perfect Pear." Chef Koehn-Mull also received the People's Choice Award for her pork entrée and an additional $500 prize.

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 Kirton will be invited to the National Pork Board's National Taste of Elegance competition this spring in San Diego, CA.

The 2008 IPPA Taste of Elegance competition was held at the Des Moines Marriott and kicked off the 36th annual Iowa Pork Congress.