Winner to Represent the State in National Seafood Cookoff
Sixteen chefs from across the Garden State will gather at Drumthwacket tomorrow, Thursday June 30 to compete in the Jersey Seafood Challenge. The event, hosted by First Lady Mary Pat Christie, will determine who will represent New Jersey at the Great American Seafood Cook-off in New Orleans in August.
The first chefs will enter the kitchen at approximately 9 a.m. to begin cooking their “Signature Dish” featuring Jersey Seafood and Jersey Fresh produce. Mrs. Christie will be on hand to judge and announce the winner from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Judges for the competition include: First Lady Mary Pat Christie; Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher; Jennifer Monaco, Club Managers Association of New Jersey; Bill Tillinghast, Vice President, American Culinary Foundation-Northeast Region; Jim Weaver, President, New Jersey Slow Food Movement; Larry Frazer, American Culinary Foundation-Princeton; David Burke, Fromagerie, Rumson and board member of the New Jersey Restaurant Association; Peter Genovese, Star-Ledger “Munch-Mobile”; Gary Giberson, Lawrenceville School Food Service Director; and Ed Coss, Milford Oyster House.
Seafood Challenge participants are:
Christopher Albrecht, Eno Terra and Enoteca, Kingston
Scott Anderson, Elements, Princeton
Mitchell Altholz, Highlawn Pavilion, West Orange
Michael John Chu, Mehtani Restaurant Group, Morristown
Chris Curado, Chakra Restaurant, Paramus
Kevin Guinta, Plate American Café, Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City
Demetrios Haronis, Fin (Tropicana Hotel Casino), Atlantic City
Michael Inferrera, Mia (Caesar’s Hotel and Casino), Atlantic City
J. Geoffrey Johnson, Copper Fish on Broadway, West Cape May
Sofia Karakasidou, Kuzina by Sofia, Cherry Hill
Jack Koumbis, Assembly Steak House and Seafood Grill, Englewood Cliffs
James Laird, Restaurant Serenade, Chatham
Will Mooney, The Brothers Moon Restaurant, Hopewell,
Elizabeth Penn, Student Chef, Academy of Culinary Arts, Atlantic-Cape Community College, Mays Landing
David Suscavage, The Foundation Room (Showboat Hotel and Casino), Atlantic City
Kevin Taylor, Los Amigos Restaurant, West Berlin
First Lady Mary Pat Christie will be on hand to judge and announce the Jersey Seafood Challenge winner from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Drumthwacket, the Governor’s Residence.
Best of luck to all.
