by Steven Doyle
The Milestone was hopping once again last night as a large group gathered to witness an Iron Chef-type challenge at the 2011 Chefs Under Fire Competition was underway. Gene and Julie Gates of the KVIL Gene & Julie Show hosted the night along with special guests Chef John Tesar and Sommelier Scott Barber of The Commissary who were on hand for a cooking and wine pairing demonstration.
Chef Kevin Martinez of Tokyo Cafe was named the DFW Regional Winner, and was closely followed by Chef Juan Rodriguez of Reata Restaurant as runner-up. Chef Martinez’s winning dish was a Seared Tilefish with Fresh Peach & Tomato Salsa on a Corn & Okra-Yuzu Succotash Topped with Crispy Shallots, using secret ingredient Golden Tilefish, provided by Seafood Supply Company, and all three secret ingredient produce items: Okra, Sweet Corn, & Peach.
Judging the chef contestants were Chef Tim Byres of SMOKE Restaurant, Katie Natale of Four Seasons Resort and Club at Las Colinas and Sharon Van Meter of the Milestone Culinary Arts Center .
Chef Martinez will now advance to compete at the Chefs Under Fire Final Competition to be held on October 16 at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center in Austin, TX. There, he will compete against the Austin/San Antonio and Houston Regional Winners. The final three chefs will battle for the winning title of Chefs Under Fire 2011 as well as a Grand Prize one week stay in Los Cabos courtesy of Keeper Collection.
Chefs Under Fire 2011 is the third annual Chefs Under Fire Statewide Culinary Competition. Tickets for the upcoming Austin/San Antonio and Houston Regional Competition as well as the Finals Competition are available for purchase on the event website at http://www.chefsunderfire.com/tickets/.
