Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/7240
THE MESSAGE T wo very lucky people have been selected by Firestone Discoveries Wine to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. In the spirit of the new Firestone Discover- ies label—which encourages new experiences in wine, cuisine and travel—the public was invited to compete for an all-expenses-paid opportunity to hike the Inca Trail in one of two positions: as a private chef to prepare gourmet meals using only simple tools and local ingredients, or as a "Path- fi nder" to employ social media, photos and videos to document the trek and report on pairing Fires- tone Discoveries wines with inspired meals on the 25-mile hike. Six fi nalists (out of thousands entered) were fl own to California's Santa Ynez Valley, where the Guest Chef contestants designed a Firestone Discoveries wine-friendly menu for 50 guests with $300. For the competition, they were only permitted to use basic implements available on the Inca Trail: a barbecue, a propane stove, a table and non- industrial cook- ware. Criteria for the selection of the winning Pathfi nder was based on each contestant's social media prowess and interaction with the Guest Chef contestants. The coveted posi- tion ultimately went to Margie Tosch of Sonoma, California, whose background in customer service and social media for the wine and hospitality industry gave her an edge over fellow fi nalists. The title of Guest Chef went to Rodelio Aglibot, Executive Chef at Sunda Restaurant in Chicago, who engineered a menu that not only was feasible to recreate along the trail, but paired well with the selected Firestone Discoveries wine. Armchair adventurers can follow Pathfi nder Mar- gie Tosch and Guest Chef Rodelio Aglibot on their Peruvian trek at www.fi restonediscoveries.com or on Facebook. 1 / the tasting panel / march 2010 A Journey to Ignite the Senses propane stove, a table and non- industrial cook- ware. the selection of the winning Pathfi nder was based on each contestant's social media prowess and interaction with the Guest Chef contestants. The coveted posi- tion ultimately went to Tosch California, whose Left to right: Winning Guest Chef Rodelio Aglibot of Chicago's Sunda Restaurant will hike the Inca Trail; semi-fi nalists are Chef Scott Beale, owner of Grey Gelding in Saratoga Springs, NY and Chef Tim Kirker, partner at Bistrot Zinc in Chicago. The esteemed panel of judges included THE TASTING PANEL's Anthony Dias Blue and world-re- nowned chef Bradley Ogden.