The Charleston Gazette - by Julie Robinson
Wednesday, January 28, 2009

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The Greenbrier Sporting Club's team headed by Chef Frank Paris took top honors Saturday at the fourth annual Cast Iron Cook-off, snagging both overall grand champion and overall menu awards.

The food prep stations manned by teams in their white chefs coats looked like a Food Network set, but they were competing in the Charleston Marriott Town Center's ballroom. High-profile chefs and nutritionists joined celebrity judge Bravo Channel's Top Chef Lee Ann Wong as she sampled the four-course offerings provided by each team. Agriculture Commissioner Gus Douglass judged the best uses of West Virginia products.

Spectators watched team members feverishly dice, whisk, sauté and flame their way to fame. Fourteen 10-member teams, each headed by a professional chef and sous chef competed for top honors. The chefs developed menus using as many West Virginia grown and raised products as possible, and directed team members in the preparation.

The cook-off provides both funds for culinary student scholarships and public awareness for the Collaborative for the 21st Century Appalachia, an organization that promotes regional cuisine and culinary and cultural tourism. The first three competitions were held at Stonewall Resort.

The number of spectators was higher at the Charleston event, said Duane Legg, U.S. Foods division chef, who coordinated high school Pro Start culinary students cooking demonstration on Friday.

"Personally, I think this year overall there were more people than in past years, probably because there's other stuff to do. The car show was also going on, and I saw people with bags from that at our event," Legg said. "I think there was a lot of foot traffic."

The 2010 Cast Iron Cook-off will also be held at the Marriott, but the date has not been set.

Cast Iron Cook-off winners

Overall Grand Champion - Greenbrier Sporting Club, White Sulphur Springs

Best Overall Menu - Greenbrier Sporting Club

Best Teamwork - Provence Market, Bridgeport

Most Creative Course - Provence Market (The Paw Paw course)

Most Creative Single Course Presentation - Provence Market (The Paw Paw Course)

Best 21st Century Interpretation of Traditional Appalachian Cuisine - Berry Hills Country Club

Use of Cast Iron - Provence Market

The "Whistle While You Work" Award - Café Cimino

People's Choice - Berry Hills Country Club

Categories judged by Commissioner Douglass

Best use of Appalachian (or West Virginia) produce - Café Cimino

Best use of Appalachian Raised Protein - Greenbrier Sporting Club

Best use of Value Added Products - Berry Hills Country Club

For information on the Cast Iron Cook-off, visit www.castironcookoff.org.

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