The 14th Annual StarChefs International Chefs Congress
One should really attend StarChefs– one of the best food and mixology events. Here, one gets the chance to network with leading chefs and mixologists.
The 14th Annual StarChefs International Chefs Congress was from Oct. 27 to Oct. 29, 2019 at the Brooklyn Expo Center in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. It was worth the trip to go with delicious dishes from star chefs along with unusual drinks from leading mixologists. Each day had different chef tastings, informative live talks, and other aspects..
Some were able to try the Farmed Responsibly ASC Certified Hiramasa Kingfish from Spencer Gulf of Australia. The cold waters helps firm the texture of the flesh to make it one of the world’s best raw fish. It is bred from fish originally sourced only an hour or so from their current operations. While at sea, they are fed specifically formulated feed for proper and optimal nutrition and growth. Their fish remain at sea for 24 months and are humanely harvested once they reach the 4 kg size for sashimi grade.
The Goat Cheese Cake prepared by Caroline Schiff, pastry chef of Gage & Tollner, was creamier along with having caramelized pears, calvados soaked cherries, and candied walnuts.
The blended Pork and Maitake Mushroom Burger by Chef John Sundstrom was a big hit and just melted in your mouth. More are blending their burgers with even plant-based ingredients such as mushrooms to get a better taste and texture.
Many enjoyed the fine mixed drink prepared by Franky Marshall, one of NYC’s top bartenders. It incorporated a smooth Japanese Whisky with a splash of club soda that was very refreshing.
Many stayed for the cocktail party where we had more great food and unusual drinks. The meatballs with zucchini along with oat brand by Chef Stephen Williams of Bouquet (Ohio Valley) was very tasty.
There were three days of main stage cooking demonstrations, hands-on workshops, beverage tastings, business seminars, and competitions. For the fifth year, StarChefs Congress hosted the Fried Rice Battle with four of the country’s best chefs. The Battle was judged by a panel of industry judges including Edward Lee of 610 Magnolia, Nicole Ponseca of Jeepney, Marcus Samuelsson of Red Rooster, and Christine Lee of CY Eats.
The 10th Annual Somm Slam had 12 sommeliers that competed in front of an audience of 50 judges made up of their wine-pro peers. The Somm Slam was a real-time pairing, blind tasting, and theory competition. Sommelier Jienna Balsaldu from The Morris in San Francisco won this Somm Slam and was the first woman to win.
Six talented pastry chefs competed on the main stage for a chance to fly to Singapore in March 2020 to represent North America at the Valrhona C3 International Final. The winner was Chef Kevin Clemenceau of andSons Chocolatiers, second-generation Beverly Hills Chocolatiers since 1983.
Being a pastry chef is in Clemenceau’s blood. He started working at his family’s bakery as an apprentice while studying pastry and catering at the same time for six years. He has worked in hotels and bakeries specializing in French style breads across France for years, most notably as Pâtissier at Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris in 2015. In 2016, he crossed the Atlantic to work as chocolatier and pastry sous chef at Pitchoun Bakery in Los Angeles. Clemenceau also took first place at the 2017 AUI Pastry Cup held by Albert Uster Imports Fine Foods.
There also was The Chef Ann Foundation’s Real School Food Challenge. Chef Ann Cooper is an internationally recognized author, chef, educator, public speaker, and advocate of healthy food for all children. In 2009, Chef Ann founded the Chef Ann Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping schools take action so that every child has daily access to fresh and healthy food.
The Chef Ann Foundation has reached over 7,000 schools and 2.5 million children with healthier school food programs, but with over 98,000 schools in the U.S. and lots of highly processed food still on kids’ lunch trays, they have their work cut out for them. Chef Ann serves as Director of Food Services for Boulder Valley School District in Boulder, Colorado, and is Partner of Lunch Lessons, LLC, a consultancy for school districts going through large-scale food change.
More about the StarChefs organization can be found at starchefs.com.
