Kitchen Competition Benefits a Good Cause

Coral Gables experienced the frenetic energy of an Iron Chef television episode when two popular Miami chefs met for the final installment of the Battle of the Chefs 2007 Summer Series. The event, a fund-raiser for Charlee Homes for Children, was held at La Cuisine Gourmet, an upscale kitchen and appliance store in Coral Gables. Organized by the Business Improvement District of Coral Gables, the event drew 200 people to the high-tech kitchen store to cheer on the culinary competitors: Cindy Hutson of Ortanique on the Mile, who eventually won, and Jesse Souza of Chispa restaurant.Before the competition began, eventgoers mingled in the showroom, sampling beverages from sponsors including wine from Cavia Reserve, Fiji Water, and beer from Peroni Italy. Christina's Party Rentals set up cocktail tables from which guests could watch the show. Coffee company Nespresso provided an espresso and cappuccino station for attendees interested in getting their caffeine fix. The Fresh Market, another sponsor, generously provided a crudité table and all the food for the competition, which included a bag of "secret ingredients" given to the chefs only minutes before the competition. The chefs had to concoct a meal using ingredients as varied as oysters, blueberries, rack of lamb, duck fat, truffle oil, and marshmallow cream. Each team had a five-minute huddle to strategize and then 45 minutes to produce four dishes.

Once the competition got under way, the energy in the room soared, as everyone crowded around the square demonstration station to watch the chefs in action. The showroom filled with the tantalizing aromas of the rapid-fire kitchen action; every few minutes, the audience erupted into cheers. The evening's M.C., Mark Trowbridge of Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce, kept the crowd interested with descriptions of the kitchen activities and by raffling off prizes. Video production company Saga Productions made sure to catch all the stove-top action. The video was connected to a live feed projected onto the showroom wall, so that audience members who weren't up close could still partake in the viewing. Those dishes included rack of lamb with roasted peaches and Greek yogurt sauce, crumbled feta from Souza's team, and oysters prepared three ways. The winning dishes from Hutson's team included applewood-smoked bacon-wrapped oysters with yucca fries and citrus cheesecake with spun sugar and marshmallow cream.