Mr. Food Judges Potato Challenge at South Beach Food & Wine Festival
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL (February 26, 2010) — It was a tough job but Mr. Food, host of the longest-running syndicated television food vignette in the U.S., was up to the task of finding the "top tater side dish" at yesterday’s Idaho Potato Side Dish Challenge at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival.
Sponsored by the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC), a Silver Sponsor of the Festival, the Idaho Potato Side Dish Challenge is part of the Amstel Light Burger Bash hosted by Rachael Ray. Thirteen chefs who participated in the Burger Bash also presented their best potato side dish creations in the friendly competition.
Mark Zeitouni, Executive Chef of the Standard Hotel in Miami Beach, was crowned the winner for his Homemade Tater Tots recipe. A $5,000 donation was made to Florida International University by the IPC on behalf of Chef Zeitouni.
In addition to Mr. Food, the judging team included Frank Muir, IPC President & CEO, and Don Odiorne, IPC Vice President, Foodservice. "This evening's side dishes once again reminded us of not only the passion and talent demonstrated by these chefs but the breadth of ideas for serving Idaho® potatoes," said Frank Muir. "Tonight was no exception. All the participating chefs deserve a round of applause. After we visited all 13 booths, where we conducted our sampling and scoring, we awarded the Grand Prize to Chef Zeitouni."
"I am always on the lookout for great-tasting recipes that use readily available and low-cost ingredients, like Idaho potatoes. Once again, these top-notch chefs over-delivered in this year's Side Dish Challenge and elevated the Idaho potato to 'celebrity food' status," said Mr. Food. "It's important to stay inspired in the kitchen and be reminded that there are endless cooking options with great-tasting, healthy ingredients. The dishes I tasted tonight are a testament to America's culinary creativity."
"The Homemade Tater Tots are really a simple dish: easy to prepare, healthy and delicious. It's basically an Idaho potato cake mixed with shallots and green onions," said Zeitouni. "Idaho potatoes work especially well for the Tater Tots because of their high solids content: more potato, less water. They are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside." The side dishes were judged on a five-point scale for each of the following criteria: Use of Product, Originality, Presentation and Flavor. The side dish with the highest total score captured the Grand Prize. Other participating chefs included:
Govind Armstrong - 8 Oz. Burger Bar
Jonathan Bennett - Moxie, The Restaurant; Red, The Steakhouse
Sean Brasel - Meat Market
David Burke - David Burke's Primehouse
Thomas Connell - Bistro One LR at The Ritz-Carlton
Gabriel Fenton - Bourbon Steak
Stephanie Izard - Girl & The Goat
Jake Linzinmeir - X Cafe
Michael Lomonaco - Porter House New York
Tim Love - Love Shack
Olivier Muller - DB Bistro Moderne
Laurent Tourondel - BLT Burger
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About Mr. Food:
Art Ginsburg, better known as Mr. Food®, has been a fixture on television news programs across the U.S. for more than 30 years. He has maintained a presence in American homes via his television vignette, which is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution and seen by close to 4 million viewers daily. Mr. Food was the first TV chef to promote "anybody can do it" recipes to a wide audience. With close to 50 "quick & easy" cookbooks to his credit, and the popular mrfood.com Web site, Mr. Food continues to give his loyal fans practical solutions to everyday mealtime dilemmas.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Caryl Fantel, VP, Corporate Communications
954-938-0400
cfantel@mrfood.com
