This October, for the eleventh time, chefs from across the country will compete in the Texas Pete® Kitchen Hero Cook-Off, each creating dishes from a mystery basket of items along with at least one of the sponsoring company’s hot sauces, condiments, and seasonings. The winner will have a $10,000 check donated to Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry program in their name.
The competitors this year are Brad Bergaus, corporate chef and director of menu innovation at quick-service Mexican concept Taco John’s; Tiffany Sawyer, corporate director of culinary & beverage at First Hospitality, which operates restaurants and bars in Ohio, Illinois, and Kentucky; Nate Weir, vice president of Culinary of Modern Restaurant Concepts, which operates fast-casual concepts Modern Market and Qdoba; and Dave Woolley, Director of Deliciousness for casual-dining chain Buffalo Wild Wings, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Inspire Brands.
The competitors will be judged by fellow culinary experts Tiffany Derry, chef and owner of TD Concepts, which operates Roots Chicken Shak with locations in the Dallas and Austin areas, and Roots Southern Table also in the Dallas area; Diana Gahagen, supply chain manager of PDQ Restaurants, a chicken-focused limited-service concept based in Tampa; Tom Kempsey, Senior director of culinary operations for Margaritaville, the Orlando-based resort operator; and Jessica Tomlinson, vice president of culinary for Tampa-based Ford’s Garage USA.
The competitors will face off during CREATE: The Experience, a conference and festival being held at the Margaritaville Resort in Palm Springs, Calif., Oct. 1-3.
Learn more about the event here.