Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/687399
CHEF'S PLATE: THE ULTIMATE TRAVELING CULINARY COMPETITION COMES TO THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA AT COPIA IN NAPA by Jeff Cox / photos by Sergey Kolivayko R emember Charlie's Golden Ticket in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory? Well, two local chefs were competing for a Golden Ticket at the Chef's Plate Napa event at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Copia in Napa, California, on February 29. There was only one ticket, so it was winner take all. The event was sponsored by Chef's Roll, a world- wide online community of chefs, culinary profession- als, food writers and other related industry, by Hestan Commercial and by the World Food Championships, where chefs vie to beat out the competition, become the World Food Champion and win $100,000. The Championships have awarded $1 million in prizes over the past four years. Two Napa chefs—Robert Wallace, Special Events Chef for the Napa Valley Wine Train, and Jeff Mosher, Chef at Robert Mondavi Winery—each prepared a three-course menu, which was served to a panel of seven judges. Eighty industry attendees also sampled the dishes and voted for the preparation they liked best. The judge's panel winner got the Golden Ticket, which affords admission to the World Food Championships in Orange Beach, Alabama, in November. At the World Food Championships, chefs compete in one of the follow- ing categories: barbecue, chili, Chef Robert Wallace's entrée: chicken and truffle-infused grits with a three-mushroom ragu, polenta and soda cracker. Robert Wallace, Special Events Chef for the Napa Valley Wine Train, was one of the two competing chefs at the Leap Day 2016 event. 100 / the tasting panel / june 2016 COMPETITION Playing the Courses