Discounted Tix for 6th Annual CT Chef’s Challenge Still Available

From now until September 1, you can get your Connecticut Chef’s Challenge tix at a discounted rate. Yup, for just $60 you can pick up a ticket that would normally cost $75. Entry gets you in on the action as you watch some of CT’s best chefs compete, passed apps, dessert, and free wine and beer. Or, you could buy a VIP ticket  ($100) that gets you into the Chef’s Reception and gets you a chance at winning a seat at the Chef’s Table Tasting Seat. There are also other seating options available that get you a guaranteed seat at the Chef’s Tasting Table.

Win Two Tix to Friday’s Connecticut Chefs Challenge 2015!

Update: Thanks to all that entered, what an awesome contest! Sorry to say, there can be only one winner, but we’re happy to announce that Michele, you’re the winner. We’ll be contacting you via e-mail soon. Tix are still on sale if you didn’t get to win. :)

We’ve been counting down the days, hours, and minutes until 7 pm this Friday, 9/18 at the Lincoln Culinary Institute in Shelton. That’s when 8 super-talented chefs from Connecticut will do battle to see who takes home the culinary belt and gets to brag about the win all year long. But, it’s not just about watching these incredibly talented chefs do battle and rib each other. Nope. You can check out the buffet, taste some apps, drink some free wine and beer (Host Chef Plum’s arranged for some great beer, btw), and dessert! Also, there will be some judges that we love there, too: Chef Derrick Prince of Stanton Social, Judy and Joy, and Ken Tuccio. 

Spend the weekend of your (food) dreams at Saybrook Point Inn + Spa, Old Saybrook

What’s better than a wonderfully relaxing weekend getaway at a charming inn and spa in beautiful costal Connecticut? Oh, you know, a wonderfully relaxing weekend getaway at a charming inn and spa in beautiful coastal Connecticut, centered entirely around amazing food! Yeah, that’s happening at Saybrook Point Inn and Spa in Old Saybrook and you need to get in on it, stat!

Saybrook Point Inn and Spa’s Food Lovers Weekends offer “food enthusiasts” an amazing opportunity to go behind the scenes of their highly acclaimed casual fine dining restaurant, Fresh Salt. Executive Chef Leslie Tripp and his team will be your tour guide through the whole experience, not only telling you about the restaurant’s philosophy and practices with local farmers and food suppliers, but also walking your through, step by step, how to create culinary masterpieces. You know you’re in great hands with Chef Tripp since he’s a graduate of the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and spent some time at Michelin Starred Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons in England alongside our hero, Gordon Ramsay, when he was just a sous chef for the legendary Master Chef, Raymond Blanc.

Sustainability, Local, Organic: CT NOFA Winter Conference This Weekend w/ Workshops, Vendors + Local Lunch

CT NOFA, The Connecticut Chapter of Northeast Organic Farming Association, is “a growing community of farmers, gardeners, land care professionals, and consumers that encourages a healthy relationship to the natural world.”  They’ve been changing Connecticut one shovel, plant, farm, consumer, and restaurant at a time since 1982 and they are going stronger than ever.

From time to time, CT NOFA has events and meetings and this weekend is their 32nd Annual Winter Conference.  On March 1, from 8:30-5 pm, at the Midtown Campus (meet at Berkshire Hall) of Western CT State University, you’ll have a chance to attend workshops, listen to the keynote speech, bid on raffles, buy CT products, and have lunch from local restaurants and purveyors that put good, healthy, local and sustainable food first.  Tickets are $35 for students and farm interns/apprentices or $60 for all others and will help to fund CT NOFA’s mission of making Connecticut better.

Casting Call: Guy’s Grocery Games Looking for Chefs for Season 2

Guy Fieri and the crew of Food Network‘s “Guy’s Grocery Games” are looking for talented chefs and professional cooks for Season 2.  Do you think that you or someone you know can handle the craziness of this brand new food competition show that has a surprise around every single grocery aisle?  If so, you’ll want to submit your info for a chance to compete (like our buddy Chef Plum of Newtown, CT did) and get up to a $20,000 prize.  

If you’d like a shot, send an e-mail here that includes:

City/State in the subject line of your e-mail

In the body of your e-mail, share…

• your name
• phone number
• your current title of occupation
• a description of your culinary background
• a recent photo of you
• a few photos of dishes that you’ve created
• and why you think you have what it takes to win

Good luck everybody! 

Fork It Over Dinners w/ CT’s Best Chefs to Raise $ for Westport Farmers’ Market

Do you know how you can’t stand your 30 mile commute to work?  How about a 1,500 mile, one to two week-long commute to get your meat and veggies to you?  During all that traveling, produce loses lots of the good stuff inside that makes it awesome.  But, by buying local you’ll have fresher food with more nutrients, not even to mention the significant cuts in gas and pollution from the transport. Also, when you support local farms, you’re supporting your neighbors, the people who really need your help.  And, by supporting local farms, you’re helping the farms stay around which preserves that land for future generations.

It’s with this philosophy that the Westport Farmers’ Market functions, providing local farmers and producers a showcase for their food.  But, you could imagine all the costs going into running such a big and important farmers’ market has to be high, especially when you’re trying to get as many local producers involved as possible.  That’s why five of Connecticut’s best chefs have gotten together with local farms to create a series of true farm to table dinners called Fork It Over.  But, there’s a twist.  You know the dates, you know the chefs, and you know the basics of the menu…you just don’t know who will be cooking, where they’ll be cooking, and when they’ll be cooking.

Casting Call: Can You Take the Fire of Hell’s Kitchen? Chefs Wanted for Season 12!

Signs that you’re a rabid fan of Hell’s Kitchen:

• You know all the lyrics to the theme song, “Fire” by Ohio Players
  • You actually have “Fire” in your iTunes collection (guilty as charged, lol)
• You yell at people in a British accent, calling them “donkey”
• You scream out, “It’s RAWWWW!” when you get undercooked food at home or at a restaurant
• You create elaborate challenges (such as capturing a squealing pig or tasting ingredients blindfolded) for friends and family members to see who can cook the best and get down and dirty
• You throw food down if you don’t like it, then shove it in people’s faces, proceeding to tell them why it’s disgusting

So, we’re sending this out to all rabid fans, chefs, and cooks…Gordon Ramsay is looking for the new cast of Hell’s Kitchen.  There’s always high stakes involved like a hefty cash prize that is tied to the chance of becoming head chef at a very prestigious restaurant.  This year’s winner (Season 11) will become head chef at Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill in Las Vegas.  Can you stand the heat of Hell’s Kitchen and think you’ve got what it takes to make it to the top in Season 12?  Here’s what you need to do:

Over 50 Chefs from Connecticut Top Peer-Judged Best Chefs America List

Ever read the results of a contest that asks people to select the best food in your city or Connecticut and wondered, “Um, how did this happen?”  Sometimes the “best-ofs” are just so far off…but, look, they can be right on too.  It all depends on how the contest is organized.  Well, we just found out about a nationwide contest that was looking for the best chefs.  Best Chefs Americas decided to take a fresh approach and allow chefs, culinary professionals, and food enthusiasts to take surveys (over 5,000, actually) about great chefs and great food in their area.  Using this information, Best Chefs Americas was able to create a list that’s up on their page and is also available in book form.  The first edition of Best Chefs Americas will also share culinary trends and ingredients that were highlighted during these interviews.  The limited edition book is available on the Best Chefs Americas site for $75, but if you’re not willing to fork over the dough, you can still see the winners from Connecticut here, organized by city from Bloomfield-Woodbury.  Congratulations to all the chefs who were recognized by fellow chefs.  This list also serves as an amazing to-eat list of places in Connecticut, too.  Amazing.

Who are you happy to see on this list and who do you wish made the list (help to nominate them too)?

Bloomfield

Steven Wolf:  Republic

Centerbrook

Jason Groten:  Gabrielle’s

Dishcrawl Stamford kicks off with 4 restaurant crawl this May!

•••

Hot outta the oven…Dishcrawl Stamford is official and is ready to go!  Yes, the successful start-up that began in New Haven, then worked its way down to Greenwich has set up in Stamford!  Their inaugural event is on May 29 at 7 pm and costs just $45 (buy the tickets here).  That gets you food tastings at four different awesome Stamford restaurants.  If you’re not familiar with Dishcrawl (if you’ve been following us, you should know this like the back of your hand), let’s tell you some of the basics:

1)  You hit up 4 restaurants in a night.

2) You’re told 48 hours before the event where you’ll meet.

3) The rest of the restaurant crawl is a complete mystery.

4) You get to talk with chefs and owners about their food.

5) You meet great new people.

Dishcrawl Greenwich June Event Highlights Old Greenwich

It’s no surprise that we’re very excited about Dishcrawl’s debut in Greenwich.  Maybe we’re too excited.  One of our Twitter friends, Velda, asked if we worked for Dishcrawl.  No, we don’t work for them, but we like what they stand for.  After we ran a contest together and gave away a $100 Ginger Man Greenwich gift certificate, we talked with the Dishcrawl Greenwich organizer for a bit.  Jesse was so very amazed with the overwhelming demand for Dishcrawl.  The first event sold out very quickly, then the second event sold out just a while after it was announced.  But, still, people wanted to be put on a waiting list to get their chance at having their own Dishcrawl experience.

We’re happy to share that Dishcrawl Greenwich has already announced their third event, set for June 11 at 7 pm.  Just buy your tix at $45 each by going to the Dishcrawl Greenwich June 11 event page.  After you buy your tix, you’ll get an e-mail 48 hours before the event.  They’ll tell you where you’re meeting to start your Dishcrawl of four local Greenwich restaurants.  This is perhaps one of the greatest parts of the culinary tours:  the element of surprise.  You won’t know where you’re eating, what you’re eating, or even who you’re meeting until you actually sit down at your next stop.