|
November 6, 2007
Dragonfly chef takes home 'Bronze
Skillet'
By Julie French
Staff Writer
Mail Tribune
Dragonfly Café and Gardens
Chef Neil Clooney and his sous chef Noah Edwards went
home with the Bronze Skillet in the first Food & Wine
Classic hosted by the Ashland Chamber of Commerce at
the Historic Ashland Armory this weekend.
The duo beat out seven other teams
of local chefs over the two-day "Iron Chef" style
competition that required cooks to advance through
three rounds, producing dishes from all-local fare
- including a special mystery ingredient.
"Doing this twice in one day
is not easy," said judge Corey Schreiber, who
started the Wildwood Restaurant in Portland. "I'm
noticing a little more study this afternoon."
In the final showdown Sunday afternoon
against the father-son team of James Williams and Skyler
Golden from Omar's Restaurant, Clooney and Edwards
won over the judges with a dish of potato-crusted cod
on a sunchoke, bacon and parsley puree with wilted
Swiss chard and cream of leek sauce paired with a caramelized
pear dessert with lime sour cream, crystallized ginger
and chocolate sauce. Each pair was required to use
cod filets and chocolate.
"I wanted the cod to come out
better, but obviously it was good enough," Clooney
said.
He was most proud of his pear dessert,
a dish that surprised judges by its last-minute chocolate
addition and awed the crowd when he ripped the cardboard
tube from his box of aluminum foil to use as a makeshift
pastry rolling pin.
"I didn't think I'd be standing
here today," Clooney said after accepting his
award. "I'm looking forward to keeping my championship
next year."
Williams and Golden are already planning
a rematch.
"It was a good run," Williams
said. "The best man won today. I'm after him next
year.
Copyright © 2007 Southern Oregon
Media Group, a subsidiary of Ottaway Newspapers, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
Thank you.
Dragonfly Cafe
and Gardens
241 Hargadine Street, Ashland, OR 97520
541.488.4855 |
