4th Annual Threshold Chef Challenge held at LCB Orlando
April 28, 2011
•Le Cordon Bleu
•General, Orlando
• 0 Comments
As the sun went down on Saturday, April 16, the night was just beginning at Le Cordon Bleu Orlando. The 4th annual Chef Challenge event, which benefits the Threshold Center for Autism, was held in Technique Restaurant. The Chef Challenge is a culinary competition featuring two of Orlando’s finest chefs who battle it out for the winning title. Students of LCB Orlando helped prepare and plate each of the seven courses, the students of sister school International Academy of Design & Technology (IADT) filmed the event, and students from UCF Rosen College provided front of the house service for the guests. This year, challenger Chef Kevin Fonzo of K Restaurant went up against two-time returning champion Chef Bram Fowler, private chef. The two prepared each dish in front of a live audience of over 100 guests including an esteemed panel of culinary experts who judged the competition.
The evening kicked off with a cocktail reception and silent auction. The first course guests experienced were appetizers prepared by last year’s challenger Chef Christopher Murray from Heathrow and Redtail Country Clubs. At 7:00pm, Master of Ceremonies, Dennis Salvagio (well known local Orlando Magic fan) invited the guests into the dining room to begin the competition.
With this year’s theme revolving around Spain, each chef incorporated the following ingredients into their creations: scallops, prawns, oxtail, quail, chorizo, Serrano ham, saffron, manchego cheese, and romesco sauce. Chef Kevin Fonzo started with his first dish, and once the guests were finished, Chef Bram Fowler’s first dish was served, and so on. At the end of each dish, the guests were encouraged to vote for their favorite and at the end of the evening each table’s votes were tabulated and included in the final score. Even after seven courses, some still had room for dessert. The eighth and final course of the evening was a surprise dessert from Spain prepared by Chef Instructor Jean Rene Thiery.
After all the votes were tabulated and the judges calculated their scores, Chef Bram Fowler was crowned the victor for a third time. It was an evening filled with good food and good company, and in the end it was all in support of the Threshold Center for Autism.
