Page 4 - Boca Exposure - December '24

Page 4, Boca Exposure
7th Annual ‘Chef Showdown’ from page 1
The competition featured the creative cuisine of: Boca
Grove Executive Chef Jacob Hammell; Broken Sound
Executive Chef Michael Bass; Delaire Executive Chef Glenn
Matusik, and Mizner Club’s Executive Chef Daniel Montano.
By tradition the winner of each competition serves as
the official Host for the following year’s competition. The
winner in 2023 was Joseph Leonardi, Executive Chef and
Assistant General Manager of St. Andrews Country Club,
which called for St. Andrews to be the setting for this year
and Chef Leonardi as the official Host with the assistance of
Stephanie Caddy, Banquets Director of St. Andrews.
As Aubrey Fleming, Special Events Coordinator for
Trustbridge, noted, “For this year’s success we owe special
thanks to our outstanding Host Committee, including Host
Chair Bob Friedman and Host Committee Andrea Albertini,
Andrea Cannon, Shari Cohen, Esq., Joanna Lardin, Judith
Levine, Jeff Persily, Mickey Rosenzweig, Heidi Shapiro,
Ilene Stein, and Sue Wandersman.”
As an Open Bar provided a wide range of drinks,
guests were invited to participate in a silent auction and
to indulge to their heart’s content from a tempting array
of four imaginative Appetizers (“small plates”) created by
the competing Chefs and arranged on tables, one for each
Chef, set up around the room.
Here was the first course for the evening’s feast:
From Chef Michael Bass: Crispy Rice Cake with Tuna
Tartare and Yuzu Essence.
From Chef Daniel Montano: Beef Tataki Cone. Yuzu
Ponzu Injector, Prime Beef Tenderloin, Truffle Pearls,
Pickled Wasabi.
From Chef Glenn Matusik: Mu Shu Peking Duck.
From Chef Jacob Hammell: House-made Beetroot
Cured Salmon Crostini, Cara Cara Orange, Whipped
Boursin, Boca Grove Honey (Garnish).
On the signal of a bell, all guests were guided to a ballroom
where they were seated at tables to enjoy the evening’s main
meal. The event’s emcee, Neil Saffer, walked them through the
fascinating and intense competition with cameras simulcasting
on screens for all to see every move made by the Chefs and
their teams as they worked intensely but professionally to
prepare their Main Dishes in the allotted time of 30 minutes.
While each of the Chefs had planned in advance the Main
Dish from which the event’s judges would determine the
winner, it was not until that evening when they would all be
informed of the “surprise ingredient” that would somehow
have to be incorporated into all of the Main Dishes that
would be available for the guests to enjoy.
That ingredient turned out to be Butternut Squash. Here
is how each Chef creatively modified his recipe.
From Chef Michael Bass: Butter-Poached Atlantic
Halibut, Fennel and Butternut Squash Soubise, Osetra
Caviar Beurre Blanc.
From Chef Daniel Montano: Pozole Verde Seco. Smoked
Pork Belly, Hominy Hash, Salsa Verde, Butternut Squash
Puree (garnished with Pumpkin Seeds and Tajin),
Cabbage Slaw, Purple Ninja Radish.
From Chef Glenn Matusik: Charred Furikaki Dusted
Wagyu Beef and Butternut Crabmeat Stuffed Danish
Langostino with Miso Bearnaise, Citrus Gel, Okinawa Sweet
Potato Puree, Butternut Squash Gratin, Pickled Butternut
Squash. Pairing with Butternut Sherbet Intermezzo.
From Chef Jacob Hammell: Sous Vide Dry Aged Ribeye
with Lobster Mousseline, Carrot Puree, Asparagus Tips,
Butternut Squash Beurre Blanc, Café de Paris Butter.
From the beaming faces, heaping plates and fast-moving
knives and forks at the many tables it was clear that all of
the four Chefs were winners as far as the dining guests were
concerned, but it was now the responsibility of the event’s
following four appointed Judges to determine the winner of
this year’s Chef Showdown:
• Chef Amanda Currie, star of Fox-TV’s Hell’s Kitchen:
Head Chefs Only.
• Virginia Philip, Master Sommelier, Philip Wine Spirits
& Academy.
• Burt Rapaport, Rapaport’s Restaurant Group.
• Terry Duffy, Publisher of Palm Beach Illustrated.
Chef Glenn Matusik of Delaire Country Club winner and
his team
And the winning Chef…Glenn Matusik of Delaire
Country Club. So next year’s Chef Showdown will be
held at Delaire Country Club in Delray Beach with Chef
Matusik as the official Host, and hundreds of the area’s
culinary cognoscente will be looking forward to it. Thanks
to St. Andrews General Manager Marc Ray, his superb
team and the Trustbridge event experts, this year’s event
will be a tough act to follow.
Sponsors who made the 2024 Chef Showdown
Country Club Competition possible were Billi and
Bernie Marcus, Acrisure, Findlay Galleries, JP Morgan
Private Bank, PNC Bank, James and Marta Batmasian,
Captrust, Horizon Care Services, Janney, Arlene and
Martin Klepper, Toshiba and Warner Pacific, exclusive
magazine sponsor, Palm Beach Illustrated, Stroll, and
Southern Glazers Wine & Spirits.
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