King of the Mountain Chef’s Challenge 2012 and Fennel Pollen Sautéed Trout Fillet on Parsnip and Apple Puree
Chef Johannes Klapdohr, of Old Edwards Inn and Spa, was in the hunt to retain his crown after beating Chef Nicholas Figel (Cypress Restaurant) last year. Other chefs from the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau in competition for the title of King of the Mountain title were John Fleer of Canyon Kitchen at Lonesome Valley (Cashiers, NC) and Mat Kowal of Gamekeeper’s Tavern (Sapphire, NC).
The guest judges had a tough decision to make
Justin Ward was the only chef from the lowlands….an Atlantan, filling in for Chef Nicholas Figel, who was unable to attend. Ward is an Instructor at The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Atlanta and former owner of Harvest Restaurant & Cosecha Restaurant in Atlanta.
J.T. Fields introduced the first mystery basket of three secret ingredients for the first challenge
This mountain version of Iron Chef was a bit more challenging than the one that you are familiar with on television. You may not be aware that the chefs on television know several days in advance what their secret ingredient will be, while these chefs were completely unaware of the secret ingredients. To further complicate matters, rather than just one secret ingredient, which is the focus on Iron Chef television, this chef’s challenge had three secret ingredients awaiting them in their baskets.
The four chefs were paired off and competed in first round challenges with the winners competing head to head for the title “King of the Mountain”. Each round brought new secret ingredients to the competing chefs.
Chef Klapdohr weighing the competition
The judges for this competition included Executive Chef Denny Trantham of Grove Park Inn (Asheville, NC) and Kevin Ouzts, Owner and Executive Chef of The Spotted Trotter in Atlanta, GA. There was also a guest from the audience chosen to be a judge for each of the challenges.
Chefs Kevin Ouzts and Denny Trantham
Shelley Skiles Sawyer, Managing Food Editor of Flavors Magazine, was the emcee for the day sharing the floor with Steve Day, Operations Manager of WHLC FM in Highlands and J.T. Fields, Owner of Mountain Fresh Grocery and Wine Market.
Shelley Skiles Sawyer and Steve Day
The mood was intense in the room as the challengers arrived, selected their mystery baskets and went to work. The first competition paired Chefs Fleer and Ward in a battle using a mystery basket of quail, coffee beans and citrus to create three separate dishes. This heated battle over a forty minute span resulted in Chef Ward advancing to the final round.
Chef John Fleer
Working with secret ingredients quail, citrus and coffee beans
Chef Justin Ward
Chef Justin Ward battles against Chef John Fleer in the first round
What a great post with a delicious recipe. And I was especially touched by the cause supported by the mountain chef challenge. Thank you for sharing, sweet friend. I hope you have a lovely weekend full of cooking, friendship, and family.
Wow, intense! The images show the intensity of the competition. As always, I enjoy your posts! Go Mr. B…the photos are awesome!
Incredible photos of this fun event. R did a great job. You look so happy in that photo with all the chefs;) This trout looks fantastic. The parsnip and apple puree sounds amazing.