With hundreds of entries for the Pitch Your Dish Recipe Challenge, it boiled down to one grand prize winner and two runners up. The competition was no doubt fierce, but as with any competition, the winners carved their place on the podium.
Without further ado, we bring to you the winners of the Pitch Your Dish Recipe Challenge…(drum roll please)
Grand Prize Winner: Jenny Dorsey
About Jenny
“I’m a professional chef with a special focus in creating culinary content & experiences using augmented & virtual reality. I’m obsessed with experiential gastronomy and total immersion using food & drink – naturally, AR/VR became an extension of this idea. My journey in food started when I left my Columbia MBA to become a chef; after spending time in fine dining I started an experimental dinner series named Wednesdays and a culinary consulting business before shifting my attention to the AR/VR world. To date, my work has been featured in publications such as Harper’s Bazaar, Business Insider, Thrillist, The Huffington Post, 7×7, Village Voice as well as on Food Network and Oxygen TV.”
Jenny’s Entry: Lemon Verbena Octopus Terrine
Description
A trio of purple: tender octopus terrine scented with fresh lemon verbena, contrasted with sweet seasonal blackberries; smoked purple potato puree, accented with bitterly floral chrysanthemum and crunchy mustard caviar.
Recipe Inspiration
“The inspiration behind this recipe came from the idea of pairing items of similar colors together, despite their flavors being unconventional or strange. Octopus was my chosen protein for the dish, so from there I drew in blackberries and purple potatoes before adding supporting components (pickled mustard caviar, chrysanthemum, red Russian kale). I’ve always loved lemon verbena and it intuitively made sense to me as the right flavor to cut through the intensity and salinity of the octopus while accentuating the sweetness of the blackberry. After a few trials and errors, I came to the final iteration of this dish – served cold, usually with a cocktail of gin and dill.”
Runner Up: Allen “Sam” Abrams
About Sam
“My name is Allen, but my friends call me Sam, and I am a food photographer and restaurant consultant based in Las Vegas, NV. I grew up around restaurants and fell in love with the industry. Before switching to full-time photography and consulting, I held various positions in F&B ranging from Executive Chef to Foodservice Director, and Operations Manager.”
Sam’s Entry: Pumpkin Pie S’mores
Description
Richly spiced pumpkin pie filling combined with decadent chocolate ganache, topped with toasted marshmallows that puts a fun and new twist on a holiday classic.
Recipe Inspiration
“My 5-year-old daughter had asked if we could make s’mores but it was cold and wet outside. Not wanting to disappoint, I tried to think of some other fall favorites I could tempt her with. While I was looking through the pantry I spotted some pumpkin puree and that is when inspiration struck.”
Runner Up: Lisa Pucci Delgado
About Lisa
“Like any artistic profession, cooking requires inspiration, once I have found my inspiration, it includes classic and modern techniques such as juicing, pickling, sous vide, and molecular gastronomy to bring out the flavors of my dish. Growing up in the restaurant industry with my parents who are both CIA Culinary graduates, we owned and operated several restaurant and catering businesses which in turn brought me to where I am today creating my own flare of everything that I have gathered throughout the years. As a chef there is nothing better than to show your love of food and flavors to the palates of others. I am on a continued journey of knowledge as a chef to learn new techniques to be able to create new culinary experiences for my clients and myself.”
Lisa’s Entry: Squid Ink Pasta with A2 Cream Reduction
Description
Experience the intensity and richness of a full A2 cream reduction – no fillers, just pure butterfat goodness – combined with the saltiness of pancetta and tang from sun dried tomatoes. Your body won’t know what to do with itself.
Recipe Inspiration
“Food is not only art, but intense flavor. Creating a pasta dish can sometimes be difficult for there is only so many things that you can do that aren’t typical. This puts your creativity at its biggest challenge. Using the squid ink pasta not only creates the color for your plate but the canvas for your sauce. Using the A2 brand of dairy is the key to flavor.”
Thanks to all who made the competition what it is, especially our prize providers Tuxton China, Crocs, Gunter Wilhelm, and ModernMeal!
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