Art of Food and Wine Palm Desert: And the Winners Are…..
By Kelly O'Connor
Hundreds of guests were treated to a friendly culinary competition under the stars at The Art of Food & Wine kick-off event Food Flight.
Top area chefs and bartenders competed while attendees sampled and picked their favorites. The winners are in:
Food Flights Chef Competition
Beef, presented by Brandt Beef:
- Chef Jaime Alejandro, Desert Willow Golf Resort
- WINNER Russ Olden, Olden Days Catering – prepared skewered, cold-smoked filet mignon on crostini with horseradish as well as filet mignon tempura skewers with smoked mango chutney
Dates, presented by the California Date Administrative Committee:
- Roy Luna, Azul Restaurant at the Trilogy Golf Club, La Quinta
- WINNER James Corwell, Purple Palm Restaurant at Colony Palms Hotel – prepared dates with seasonal braised leeks in court bouillon and dressed with sherry vinaigrette along with a date salad, which featured brushed walnuts, frisée, celery and lemon dressing
Lamb, presented by the California Lamb Board:
- WINNER (in a tie) Paul Hietter, Love at First Bite – served fresh baked lamb and veal with harissa (a North African spice), red peppers, lemon, olive oil, garlic and lavender bud (Chef Paul’s signature flavor) baked off with tzatziki for a delicious Moroccan flavor
- WINNER (in a tie) Juan Leon, Hotel Zoso – served a lamb duet consisting of seared lamb sirloin and lamb tongue wrapped in flatbread with baby arugula, caramelized onions, creamy feta cheese and Romesco sauce
Pistachios, presented by Wonderful Pistachios:
- Marcos Gonzalez, Desert Springs JW Marriott Resort & Spa
- WINNER Jeffrey Lunak, The Parker Palm Springs – prepared a foie gras and pistachio Panacotta with pineapple and pistachio brittle for the perfect combination of sweet and savory
Pomegranates, presented by POM Wonderful:
- JC Marquez, Peaks Restaurant
- WINNER Matthew Pike, Indian Wells Golf Resort – served a pomegranate taco, which included a tropical fruit salad of pineapple, papaya, kiwi and pomegranate seeds, kiwi mousse, vanilla bean pomegranate mousse finished with pomegranate molasses
Seafood, presented by Santa Monica Seafood Company:
- Randy Westwood, Westwood Catering
- WINNER Greg Picard, Cave at the Renaissance Esmeralda Hotel – served a crab cake made of blue swimmer crab from Santa Monica Seafood Company topped with lobster and corn foam, radish salad and citrus pearls
Bartender Shake-Up Competition
Aperitif presented by Campari:
- Lucky Perez, Desert Springs JW Marriott Resort & Spa
- WINNER Heather Gutierrez, Ruth’s Chris Steak House – prepared a Campari Bellinisima, a Bellini-inspired drink of Campari, sparkling wine, fresh-squeezed orange juice and peach schnapps
Tequila, presented by Cabo Wabo:
- Melissa Burbank, Desert Willow Golf Resort
- WINNER Nicole Toyne, Bing Crosby’s Restaurant – created a Mexicali Rose made of Cabo Wabo tequila with lime juice, mint and strawberries
Vodka, presented by Siku Vodka:
- WINNER (in a tie) Alexis Grimm, Pacifica Seafood Restaurant – served a Pacifica Sunset martini, which included Siku Vodka, mango pucker and fresh orange and cranberry juices
- WINNER (in a tie) Richard Rayos, The Cork Tree – served a sweet essence martini that consisted of Siku Vodka with St. Germaine, mint, lime and lemon juice and simple syrup
A panel of eight celebrity judges, including Cathedral City Mayor Kathy DeRosa, Desert Hot Springs Mayor Yvonne Parks, Indian Wells Mayor Mary Roche, Indio Mayor Lupe Ramos Watson, Danny Fox of KDES-FM, Henry Fenwick of The Desert Sun and David Nepove of Southern Wine & Spirits, were combined with guest votes to select the evening’s most delicious culinary treats.
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