Chef Showdown 2008
Certified Master Chef Hartmut Handke of Handke’s Cuisine and Chef Jeff Hostenske of M, a Cameron Mitchell Restaurant faced-off in an Iron Chef-style competition on April 25th to benefit the Columbus Museum of Art. Chef Showdown 2008, staged in the spacious Lifestyle Communities Pavilion, pitted Handke and Hostenske against one another in a friendly, live cook-off in front of more than 500 guests. The two chefs thrilled the crowd with their skill and showmanship.
The secret ingredient, creatively presented moments before the cook-off began, was Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers. Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers are fresh, never frozen premium chicken tenderloins that are marinated for 24 hours. They are cooked to order until crisp, golden brown. The chefs creatively incorporated the Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers and Secret Sauce in their dishes to be judged. Judges for the event were Honorary Lead Judge, Chef Hubert Seifert of Spagio’s; co-founder and CEO of Sugardaddy’s Sumptuous Sweeties®, Mark Ballard; Jeni Britton owner of Jeni’s Ice Creams; Robin Davis from Dispatch Kitchen; and Tim McCarthy, the winning bidder of the evening’s auction.
After the closing gong was rung and the judges had tasted the freshly prepared dishes Chef Jeff Hostenske was declared the winner.
Besides being entertained by extraordinary cooking skills, patrons were treated to fabulous food and desserts catered by Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, Handke’s Cuisine and Pistacia Vera. Emcee Dom Timberi from WBNS -10TV kept the crowd in high spirits. While expert commentary from Molly O’Neill of New York City kept the crowd informed.
Deb Susi and Sheryl Zangardi were co-chairs of Chef Showdown 2008. Twenty-six Women’s Board members served on the Showdown Executive Committee. The event raised over $100,000 for the museum.
