Top Chefs

Danny Wilhoit – Bistro by the Tracks Danny Wilhoit grew up with his hands in the dirt. A native of Campbell County, the family’s 47-acre farm had multiple gardens. They grew everything imaginable and canned and preserved what couldn’t be…
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Mark Davis – Connor's Steak & Seafood Davis started working in the restaurant business when he was in college. He enjoyed his experience in the front of the house and says that enjoyment took him to the back of the house where the…
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Jeff Carter – Sunspot “I got my inspiration from my dad,” says Jeff Carter. “He loved to cook and thankfully took time to teach me. . He got off work earlier than my mom and we spent the afternoons cooking together. We lived in Mobile…
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Nearly 300 guests braved a chilly, rainy evening in late March to arrive for the 11th annual Top Chefs event. The wine was flowing, the food was prepared to perfection, and silky jazz from the Larry Vincent Trio filled the venue. For the…
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Entrée: Pork Two Ways, with gumbo and traditional potato salad. Dessert: Guava Turnover, with cream cheese ice cream and guava sorbet. Danny Wilhoit grew up on a farm in Campbell County, where at an early age family members were…
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Entrée: Slow Roasted Pork Pernil, with plantain, mojo sauce, pineapple sesame salsa, and cilantro. Caribbean BBQ sweet potato chips. Dessert: Tres Leches Cake, with whipped cream and raspberry sauce. Jay Vopatek started cooking out of…
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Entrée: Braciolini di Manzo, con Couscous di Cavolfiore: Braised stuff beef rolls, with roasted cauliflower couscous. Dessert: Orange and White Cassata Cake, with blood orange gastrique and cardamom-dusted pistachios. For Frank…
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Entrée: Cavatelli alla Bolognese: “little hollows” pasta with Ragú Bolognese of Mitchell Farm beef, Strauss veal, and Heritage Farm pork, with San Marzano tomatoes and pecorino Romano. Tie-3rd Place Dessert: Butterscotch Budino:…
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Entrée: Milk Braised Pork over sage parmesan polenta, with sautéed romaine and a pine nut gremolata. Tie-3rd Place Dessert: English Sticky Toffee Pudding. Mark Davis got his start in the field while at college in North Carolina:…
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3rd Place Entrée: Farm-raised Rabbit wrapped in Applewood bacon over parmesan risotto, with caramelized fennel root infused in fennel oil. Dessert: Bacardi Rum Baba, with vanilla bean whipped cream and fresh, mint-infused syrup.…
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