Calling top Bravest chefs
It’s time to turn up the heat. The fourth annual 5 Alarm Cookoff is back, and the Daily News is looking for the city’s top firehouse chefs. Think you have what it takes? Submit a recipe for an original dinner entree before this Sunday to get in the game.
The expectations are high, says returning judge Brian Morris, executive chef at Relish magazine.
“I did the Manhattan borough final last year, and it was absolutely a blast,” says Morris, who also produces the foodie mag’s cooking show. “These guys have some legitimate food chops and a pretty wide base of food knowledge. I was really impressed.”
Competitors will first square off with other firefighters and emergency medical technicians in their borough.
Five finalists will then appear on an upcoming episode of Rachael Ray’s cooking show for a smoking FDNY showdown.
The winner will walk away with a $5,000 cash prize from the Daily News, a firehouse kitchen makeover sponsored by P. C. Richard & Son and General Electric, and a $2,500 Key Food gift card Key Food. Dishes that made it to past finales include goatcheese-stuffed chicken breast, crab cakes with chipotle mayo and coconut-crusted Chilean sea bass.
Morris still remembers last year’s winning Manhattan recipe: Tandoori chicken skewers whipped up by Engine 58’s Scott Worontzoff.
“It was perfectly cooked curried chicken,” says Morris. “If the whole firefighting thing gets old, I think a lot of these guys would have jobs waiting for them in New York restaurants.”
Morris hopes to catch up with familiar faces, but wouldn’t mind seeing what the other boroughs have to offer.
“I wish I could do them all,” he says. “Having seen how good they are, this year, we're raising the standard a little bit. I've seen what they're capable of.”
Visit nydailynews.com/contests for rules and details.