National Beef Cook-Off savors 27th year
Sep 24, 2007 10:18 AM
With her recipe for Nuevo Chipotle Beef in Butternut Squash Boats, amateur home cook Christine Riccitelli of Incline Village, Nev., won the 27th National Beef Cook-Off® and the $50,000 “Best of Beef” grand prize in mid-September in Chicago, IL. Riccitelli’s dish topped recipes from 26 other finalists (including six children) from across the country. The contestants were competing for $110,000 in prize money.
The national beef cook-off is funded in part by the beef checkoff and managed by the American National Cattlewomen Inc., on behalf of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board. Now held on a bi-annual basis, the cook-off always stirs up a lot of media interest across the country. This year’s competition also featured a beef seminar for reporters that offered a “farm to fork” theme – demonstrating for food editors how beef moves from producer operations to delicious prepared recipes, such as those featured in this cook-off.
“Chicago was a tremendous venue and opportunity for the beef industry to communicate with thought leaders in the food industry and with consumer media,” said Ken Stielow, a Kansas producer and chairman of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board.
Riccitelli’s recipe features a blend of Latin flavor influences, including chipotle chile pepper, ripe avocado and butternut squash. The dish is an excellent source of nutrients like fiber, protein, niacin, vitamins B6 and B12, iron, selenium and zinc.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be named winner of this year’s cook-off,” said Riccitelli. “I grew up eating stew beef and was inspired to use it in my recipe. I love sharing my favorite recipes with family and friends; now I get to share them with the rest of America.”
The cook-off this year focused on a “Seize Life” theme that reinforced the role beef plays in an active lifestyle. From January through March 2007, family chefs were invited to submit original beef recipes for the opportunity to travel to Chicago and prepare their dish for a panel of esteemed judges. The beef cook-off continues to be a premiere opportunity for home cooks to create enjoyable beef recipes that provide fuel for their families.
Leading Chicago area food industry professionals evaluated each recipe on the same criteria – taste, appearance, convenient preparation and cooking, and healthfulness and nutritional balance. Riccitelli’s recipe won raves from the judges because it pared an underutilized cut of beef – beef for stew – with sweet, tangy and spicy flavors.
The 2007 judges were: Mary Adolf, M.S., R.D., president and chief operating officer of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation; Carol Haddix, associate subject editor for the “Good Eating” section of the Chicago Tribune; Chris Koetke, dean of the Department of Culinary Arts at Kendall College; Ina Pinkney, chef and owner of Ina’s Restaurant in downtown Chicago; and Nancy Rodriguez, president of Food Marketing Support Services Inc.
In addition to the “Best of Beef” grand prize, eight cash prizes totaling $60,000 were awarded in four categories: “New Dynamic Beef” to fuel the body; “Nuevo Latino Beef” for active lifestyles; “Kids in the Kitchen” featuring fun recipes with nutritional balance; and “Small Plates, Big Taste” with grilled beef as appetizers or entertainment portions.
The winner in each category received $10,000. The 2007 category winners are:
New Dynamic Beef ($10,000 prize): Veronica Callaghan, Glastonbury, Conn.
Nuevo Latino Beef ($10,000 prize): Patrice Hurd, Bemidji, Minn.
Kids in the Kitchen ($10,000 prize): Shannon Mitchell and her twin daughters, Danielle and Riley, Naperville. Ill.
Small Plates, Big Taste ($10,000 prize): Lisa Huff, Clive, Iowa
The runner-up in each category received $5,000. Those awardees are:
New Dynamic Beef ($5,000 prize): Diane Coates, Allendale, N.J.
Nuevo Latino Beef ($5,000 prize): Norma Fried (pronounced “freed”), Denver, Colo.
Kids in the Kitchen ($5,000 prize): Teresa Ralston and daughter Catherine Ralston, New Albany, Ohio
Small Plates, Big Taste ($5,000 prize): Kurt Wait, Redwood City, Calif.
For the new recipes and photographs of the 2007 national beef cook-off competition, visit http://www.beefcookoff.org.
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