Chefs ready to compete at Challenge on May 24
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » Area chefs will compete for a cause in the upcoming Chef’s Challenge 2018 to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region.
Seven local restaurants are set to participate in the upcoming Chef’s Challenge, scheduled for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m on Thursday, May 24 at Excelsior Springs, located at 47 Excelsior Ave.
All competing establishments will make a signature dish for the People’s Choice food competition. In a newly added component to the competition, those dishes will each be paired with a signature cocktail or beverage. Guests will have the opportunity try each dish and drink, then vote for their favorite.
The winning restaurant will then move on to compete in a head-to-head competition at the next Chef’s Challenge event.
This year the timed head-tohead challenge - which is much like the television cooking show Iron Chef, complete with a surprise secret ingredient - will feature Chef Thomas Gulbrandsen of Excelsior Springs and Chef Derek Adams of Warehouse Grill & BBQ in Albany. These chefs will take on the challenge of creating a three course meal in one hour, incorporating the secret ingredient revealed at the start of the contest. Competitors are judged on taste, appearance of the dish and use of the secret ingredient.
One lucky event-goer will be chosen as part of the judge’s panel to help determine the winner.
People’s choice awards will also be presented to the crowd favorite restaurant and bar.
Other participating restaurants for 2018 include Old Bryan Inn, 2 West Bar and Grill, Upstate Distilling, Fish on 30 Lake, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Nanola and Harvey’s Restaurant and Bar.
Proceeds from this fundraiser will benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region, a nonprofit mentoring program for children facing adversity.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region serves almost 600 youths in the area by providing them with strong, enduring, professionally supported, one-to-one mentoring relationships. These relationships help children realize their potential by inspiring their futures, ultimately strengthening their contributions to the community. To adequately sustain a big-little
mentorship, the cost is approximately $1,200 a year. Fundraising events, like the Chef’s Challenge, contribute to maintaining Big Brothers Big Sisters’ efforts to change the lives of children forever.
Specifically, the Chef’s Challenge 2018 will help support a Big Brothers Big Sisters program at the nearby Skidmore College that pairs college students with area children.
The nonprofit’s fundraising goal for this popular annual event, now in its sixth year, is $45,000, chief executive office Sabrina Houser said.
The Chef’s Challenge typically attracts nearly 200 event attendees, a mix of young professionals, college students, families and foodies.
While there are other food events offered in the region, this competition model is unique to the area, Houser said.
“It’s a great event just to come and have a good time,” she continued. “There isn’t this constant fundraising feel about it, it’s just a really great event for a really great cause.”
Additionally, “The food and drinks are always delicious, but it’s also a wonderful opportunity for the community to get involved in our mission while enjoying a night out,” Houser said in a press release.
Anyone looking to give back to the community, “This is just such a great, fun, enjoyable way to do it,” Houser said. “It really is just that good combination of you feel good about yourself, but you’re there just to have a blast too, and you end up helping kids in ways that you can’t even imagine. I truly do think that mentoring is just the solution to so many of our problems that we’re facing as a society. All kids will find mentors, so we may as well just put a healthy person in front of them to do that.”
Tickets to the event can be purchased online by visiting bbbscr.org/chefschallenge.
Young professional tickets for those younger than 30 cost $50, general admission is $75, a pair of date night tickets cost $112.50 and honorary committee tickets cost $150.
More information about Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region is available online at BBBSCR.org.