AREA CHEFS AND WINERIES FACE-OFF IN FIRST ANNUAL “CHEF CHALLENGE”
On Thursday, October 24, Black Star Farms will host the first annual “Chef Challenge” to benefit the Leelanau Horse Rescue. Patterned after the cable television show “Iron Chef”, the “Chef Challenge” brings together eight top chefs from the Grand Traverse area to show off during two rounds of “seriously fun competition”.

Paired with a local winery, each chef will present an appetizer or dessert of his or her choice during the first of two rounds. In a blind tasting, a panel of judges will evaluate each offering based on presentation, composition, taste, creativity, and its suitability to the chosen wine.

Meanwhile, guests of the event will stroll from “restaurant to restaurant,” sampling the offerings from each chef and vintner. The two chefs judged as having prepared the best appetizer or dessert in the first round will be identified and progress to the “Ultimate Chef” phase of the evening. Conducted in two side-by-side pavilion kitchens and hosted by Bob Pisor, they will have one hour to create three to five dishes using a theme ingredient announced just prior to the start of the competition. All ingredients will be donated by Hansen Foods of Suttons Bay.

The participating chefs and wineries have been randomly paired as follows: Phil Murray (Windows) and Peninsula Cellars; Greg Murphy (La Becasse) and Chateau Chantal; Tom Sawyer and Chris Cihak (Riverside Inn) and Shady Lane Cellars; Nancy Kelly (Travelling Chef) and Chateau Fontaine; Michael Bauer (310) and L. Mawby Vineyard; Mike Peterson (Lulu’s Bistro) and Ciccone Vineyards; Chris Johnson (Latitude) and Chateau Grand Traverse; and Rich Beichner (Trillium) and Black Star Farms.

Designed as an intimate evening of fine food and wine, tickets are limited. The price per person is $75 for the “Strolling Sampler” which includes appetizers and wine tastings from each chef and vintner, commemorative wine glass, access to the “Ultimate Chef” phase of the evening, a wine seminar, and equestrian demonstration. In addition, 20 “Judges Corner” tickets will be sold at $500 per person which include all of the above plus a pre-reception with the judges, a special wine package poured by Sommelier Pram Archarya of Esperance, exclusive kitchen-side seating and tastings during the “Ultimate Chef” phase of the evening, and a reception with the chefs.

Throughout the event, guests will have the opportunity to bid on an array of exclusive items during a silent auction. These will include jewelry by Becky Thatcher, golf at Oakland Hills Country Club, bed and breakfast weekends, original art, and fine wines. Winning bids will be announced at the end of the evening. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. and tickets are available at Becky Thatcher Design (Glen Arbor), Cedar City Market (Cedar), 45th Parallel Cafe (Suttons Bay), The Potting Shed (Lake Leelanau), Hillside Feed & Seed (Suttons Bay) Riverside Inn (Leland), and Black Star Farms Tasting Room. Tickets can also be reserved by calling the Chef Challenge Message Center at 231-256-2776.

Leelanau Horse Rescue Inc. is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the protection and preservation of horses in Michigan and throughout the United States. Horses are available for adoption, foster, and sponsorship and can be seen at the Chef Challenge. Contact Leelanau Horse Rescue at P.O. Box 859, Leland, MI 49654 or at www.leelanauhorserescue.com.

P.O. Box 577
Pellston, Michigan 49769-0577

(231) 539-7100