Cooking is the new spectator sport. Primed by the intense drama of shows like Top Chef and Hell’s Kitchen, people want to see blood, sweat, knives, and withering looks flying around the kitchen The huge crowd at La Cuisine’s “Battle of the Chefs” last week demonstrated that Miami is hungry for competitive cooking.
Cindy Hutson of Ortanique on the Mile and Jesse Souza of Chispa were the contenders. It was more Iron Chef than Top Chef, complete with a garrulous host in a suit who kept a running commentary on his microphone. He peppered the chefs with questions as they cooked. The chefs had five minutes to plan and one hour to cook using the following mystery ingredients:
Rabbit
Oysters
Apple wood smoked bacon
Duck fat
Truffle oil
Yucca
Tart shells
Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme
Dried blueberries
Shredded coconut
Of course, I wanted to know what the chefs did with that god-awful marshmallow creme. Team Ortanique impressed the crowd when they spun golden sugar for a cheesecake with Jet-Puffed topping. Team Chispa used the marshmallow creme as one-third of a trio of tarts; the tart consisted of peanut butter, marshmallow creme, and peaches. For both teams, torching the Jet-Puffed went a long way in making the white goo more palatable.
The four judges were especially pleased with the presentation, and pastry chef Hedy Goldsmith praised the desserts. Both teams scored closely, but Ortanique carried the day!
Hopefully, La Cuisine will continue these events next summer. This was unfortunately the final installment, although their website still incorrectly states that there will be another battle in August.
One small complaint. It’s hard watching so much delicious food pass before your eyes without even a nibble. In my anxiousness to get up close to the “kitchen stadium” I passed on the finger foods. I was weak with hunger by the end of the battle. The carrot sticks and spinach dip offered as appetizers were no match against the delectable aroma of Cindy Hutson’s curried rabbit anyway. Next time, throw the masses some crumbs!
Hey, great new website; great reading; great topics. Can’t wait for more!
Welcome to the blogosphere! Glad to have another voice on the Miami food scene.
Nice site! I need more….
Trina I am very much impressed by the quality of your website. You are a very talented young lady. Congrats… I look forward to keeping up with the insights you provide
Trina,
Great article! I was there, and I have to say I agree with your comment that the masses should have had more food. But all in all, it was a great event, and I’m glad Miami is doing more to come into its own when it comes to cuisine. Congrats on your blog! It is fantastic and I can’t wait to read more.
Trina, congrats on your blog. Thanks for posting my Wok Star cooking class on your site. I didn’t know till I saw on Google.
Do come to a class so you can experience.
I was at several of the Battles. Good thing, you can watch the action thrown up on the wall showing four different angles. Bad thing, you’re right, not enough food esp. for people drinking alcohol. I suggested to Charlee’s organizer about this situation so hopefully, next year, they’ll have more food options. Good fundraiser for Charlee.
I donated gift cert. for my class and have met some neat people there.
You need to resize your images. They are HUGE (filesize)!!! Scale them before embedding, rather than have the browser do it after downloading.
Thanks for the advice. Are you having trouble viewing the pictures?
marshmallows with cheese is the stuff that i always munch;;;