Round 2 is under way at the Mason Dixon Master Chef Tournament

Chilled Prince Edward Mussels with Citrus and Chilies

Round 2 is under way at the Mason Dixon Master Chef Tournament and on Monday, July 26th I attended the Mason Dixon Master Chef Tournament as an observer not a judge. It was nice to attended and be able to take everything in with a different perspective.

Chef Brian Parks of The San Carlos & The Hop attended York County School of Technology and then attended the Pennsylvania Culinary Arts School in Pittsburgh, PA. He worked three years at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs and then moved to Key West, Florida where he spent two and a half years furthering his career in culinary arts. Chef Brian’s cooking style is contemporary American with the combination of French and Caribbean. Chef Brian Parks says “one of my favorite dishes to prepare is Rosemary Braised Lamb Shank, served with soft butternut squash polenta and natural jus and roasted garlic aioli drizzle."

Chef Kenneth Plante of Red Star studied at the Baltimore International Culinary College. He was the apprentice at Linwoods in Pikesville for four years before becoming a chef at Sotto Sopra, and a sous chef at Belmont in Elkridge. He is now currently the Executive Chef at Red Star. Chef Kenneth describes his cooking style as old world European classical, with emphasis in attention to simplicity that lets the ingredients speak for themselves. Chef Kenneth says “one of my favorite dishes to prepare is California lobster pasta, which uses California dates, mission figs, humboldt fog artisan goat cheese, and homemade stracceti pasta with fresh Maine lobster.”

The evening started out with the 4-course meal prepared by Truffles catering (each week the 4-course meal is different):

Insalata Caprese with vine ripe tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil, and balsamic vinaigrette
Intermezzo
Choice of Scallopine of chicken with sweet apple and apple jack cream, Grilled Sirloin with peppercorn and Dijon demi glase or Grilled vegetable plate with Chimmichurri infusion
Dessert Bar with Assorted Pastries

Once dessert has been served, the competition starts for the chefs at 7:30, the chefs begin working on cold prep where they slice and dice away. After 30 minutes of cold prep the MC announces the official start of the competition and the clock is set for one hour of fast paced cooking. Guests and judges are allowed to go right up and get a first hand experience of the chefs at work and be marveled by the talent and skills, plus ask the chefs some questions.

And before you know if time is up…

Each chef is to prepare 3 dishes- appetizer, entrée and dessert within that hour time limit..

Chef Brian Parks of The San Carlos & The Hop made:

Tapas trio which included roasted asparagus bisque with white truffle oil, spicy crab tortilla with yellow watermelon puree, tomato bruchetta with fontina cheese
Aged bistro fillet with roasted garlic carbernet mashed potatoes and caramelized fennel, and julliene carrots (I did get a taste of this and loved the flavors of the garlic carbernet mashed potatoes and caramelized fennel)
Orange mascarpone Tart with bruleed fresh pear (loved the chocolate swizzle)

Chef Kenneth Plante of Red Star made:

Chilled Prince Edward Mussels with Citrus and Chilies
Glazed Pork Tenderloin and lemon, leek risotto (I did get to taste this and the pork was cooked perfectly and loved the leek and lemon combination)
Pocket Peach Cobbler (the pulled sugar looked great)

Between the panel of three expert judges and the panel of guest judges the winner was Chef Kenneth Plante of Red Star and will be competing in round 3 on Monday, August 16, 2010 agaisnt Mark Ricker of Morsel.

Don't forget to check the photo slideshow and video below

Want to attend the next match?

You can select two ticket levels:

General Admission tickets ($55 each, including tax and gratuity) entitle you to your choice of a gourmet four-course meal from a specially designed menu created by Chef Timothy Dore of Truffles Catering at The Belvedere. General Admission ticket holders are also eligible for random selection as a guest judge for that evening’s competition
Judging Experience tickets, at $75 each, include a gourmet four-course meal, reserved VIP seating, and assure that guests get to taste and vote alongside the tournament’s celebrity judges.
Click here to purchase tickets

Don't forget that 10% of the net proceeds from ticket sales will go directly to Moveable Feast. Moveable Feast is a local non-profit Baltimore charity that provides meal delivery service to homebound People Living with AIDS/HIV, women undergoing breast cancer treatment as well as their families.

The San Carlos & The Hop -VS- Red Star

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