The grand prize winner of Cook of the Week Challenge!
Last night was the finale to the Cook of the Week Challenge. Previous victories in all other rounds brought 4 cooks to this event to compete for the title of Cook of the Year. The contestants: Penny Kazmier, Cate Brusenbach, Mark Clemens and Michael Lalagos
The key ingredients: fresh cranberries, dried cranberries, pork tenderloins, canned chipotle peppers and hazelnuts.
The final contestants had one hour to prepare a dish that incorporated the key ingredients. However, the finale was a little different than other challenges, as the cooks had a live audience of over 200 people!
Attendees at the event were able to watch the contestants prepare their finale dishes, but were also encouraged to visit vendor and sponsor booths for tastings and free samples. BUNN® was excited to be a part of the excitement last night at the finale event. Attendees were invited to brew their very own cup of coffee or tea on BUNN® My Café® at the BUNN booth.
The contestants did not let the crowd, or the pressure of a ticking clock hinder their culinary creativity as they all created innovative dishes that sounded delicious! Dishes such as pork tenderloin stuffed with cranberries, shallots and bread crumbs, and glazed with balsamic vinaigrette, root beer and adobe sauce, or pork tenderloin stuffed with feta cheese, hazelnuts and cranberries with a chipotle glaze!
In the end there could only be one Daily Herald Cook of the Year and the title goes to…. Penny Kazmier of South Barrington, Illinois. Kazmier’s dish of pork tenderloin stuffed with cranberries, shallots and bread crumbs, and glazed with balsamic vinaigrette, root beer and adobe sauce served with stuffing, a sweet potato hash and chutney was picked as the judges’ favorite. Kazmier not only received the title of Daily Herald Cook of the Year, but she also walked away with $4,000 worth of prizes, including a box of USDA Prime Black Angus Porterhouse steaks from BUNN Gourmet and a BUNN My Café single serve pod brewer with an assortment of pods.
BUNN was pleased to be a sponsor of this fun competition which celebrated cooking, and congratulates all the contestants of the 1st Annual Daily Herald Cook of the Week Challenge.
To read more about the finale visit http://dailyherald.com/article/20111102/news/711029616/.