Winner to showcase winning recipes among top chefs in Chicago
(Chicago, Ill.) The National Restaurant Association today announced the “Hot Chef” Challenge, which kicks off today on YouTube. All professional chefs and home cooks alike are encouraged to submit short videos of themselves preparing their favorite recipes using trendy food and beverage alcohol ingredients. The winner, as selected by fellow YouTube users and the Association, will have the opportunity to showcase his or her creations among a lineup of culinary stars at the world’s largest restaurant industry eventthe 2008 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show at McCormick Place in Chicago, May 17-20.
“Consumers looking for new menu concepts, ingredients and pairings create new opportunities for restaurateurs. Culinary inspiration is not confined to the kitchen these days, but can also be shared online,” said William C. Anton, FMP, convention chairman for the 2008 Show, and chairman and founder of Anton Airfood, Inc. “We invite any individual who has a passion for cooking to share their talents with us via video to potentially win a great opportunity to showcase their culinary skills at the largest industry trade show in the country.”
Anyone interested in becoming the “Hot Chef” for NRA Show 2008 should submit an original video of themselves doing a cooking demonstration at www.youtube.com/group/nrashowhotchef by May 7, 2008. Each video should be no longer than two minutes and must include one food item and one alcohol item (as an ingredient or as a pairing with a dish) from the Association’s What’s Hot… What’s Not chef survey, available at www.restaurant.org/pdfs/research/200711chefsurvey.pdf.
YouTube users will vote for the top three videos, and the winning entry will then be selected by an Association panel. Viewers can vote by selecting “Thumbs Up” or “Thumbs Down” through May 7, 2008.
The winner will be given a live 60-minute demonstration spot in the Culinary Scene area at the NRA Show on Saturday, May 17, 2008, at 1:00 p.m., as well as have his/her video featured on the Show Web site. The Culinary Scene features a custom-built demonstration kitchen in which trend-setter chefs, such as Rick Bayless, Grady Spears, Charlie Ayers and Govind Armstrong will perform culinary showcases throughout the four Show days.
No purchase is necessary to enter the contest. Limit one video submission per person, who has to be a legal residents of the United States, 21 years of age or older (void where prohibited or restricted by law). For full official contest rules and instructions, visit www.restaurant.org/show/media/hotchef/rules.cfm.
Now in its 89th year, the annual National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show is the largest single gathering of restaurant, foodservice and lodging professionals in the Western Hemisphere. The 2008 Show will be held May 17-20, at McCormick Place in Chicago, Ill. The Show attracts 2,000+ exhibiting companies and 74,000 attendees and visitors from all 50 states and 115 countries. More information can be found on the Show Web site at www.restaurant.org/show.
