Chattanooga Market will host the annual Lodge Cast Iron Cook-off on Sunday, Aug. 26. Market patrons will be able to watch five regional chefs show off their culinary skills for a live cooking competition. The participating chefs have been carefully selected, and are eager to impress not only a live audience, but a panel of judges as well.
The chefs will have to be creative, quick-thinking and skillful.
And, it's no small feat since they will not be able to plan or prepare ahead of time. They will arrive to the Market armed only with their personal cooking equipment. The chef introductions will be at
11:30 a.m. (Market opens at
11 a.m.) and then the shopping begins. Market patrons will be able to watch the chefs carefully pick out the freshest fruits, vegetables, spices, cheeses and more to make their dish remarkable, right from Chattanooga Market vendors. In support of the Tennessee Aquarium's Serve & Protect mission, the chefs will be surprised with a sustainable seafood with which to prepare for the judges.
After the shopping portion is complete, the chefs will then demonstrate their culinary skills using Lodge's Cast Iron skillets. They will cook for one hour while guest emcee
Dyan Damron, gives a play by play on what the chefs are creating, keeping the audience well informed. From there, the judges will be presented one by one with the chefs' dishes and asked to rate them by presentation, taste and creativity. After the judging process is complete, the winner will receive a one of a kind metal trophy designed and crafted by Market artist, Allen Hampton. Additionally, the winning chef will be awarded an automatic entrance into the
World Chef Challenge for 2018, held in Orange Beach, Alabama this year.
The 2018 Lodge Cast Iron Chefs:
Rebecca Barron St. John’s/Meeting Place
Dao Le Read House/Bridgeman’s Chophouse
Patrick Halloran Hummingbird’s Pastaria
Nick Thiers Culinard Institute
BJ Lofback Funk Seoul Brother