Food fight! Amateur chefs vie for culinary glory at the culmination of a nationwide throwdown.
It was a savory Sunday afternoon at the Brooklyn Brewery as Nick Suarez and Theo Peck culminated their multi-city Food Experiments tour with a national throwdown among amateur chefs vying for culinary glory at The Food Experiments National Championship. While a dozen of the 17 competitors represented Brooklyn, chefs from around the country held their own by bringing a little taste of home with them. Austin locals The Holy Smokers, donning saintly robes and sunglasses, prepped Thai chili bacon candy, while New Orleans sweetheart Amy Sins brought a Cajun taste of crawfish and andouille cornbread with pork belly.
But it was Brooklyn that prevailed! Brooklyn all-stars Serious Business, decked out in elaborate life-size taco costumes, fittingly served up their Taco Version 2.0 (carnitas, roasted corn and black bean succotash, ancho chile and pumpkin seed Salsa, and cilantro-jalapeno crema) and won over the taste buds of the judges, who included Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster Garrett Oliver, Bon Appétit magazine's restaurant and drinks editor Andrew Knowlton, and New York Times food writer Melissa Clark. Audiences, on the other hand, favored the Steak & Eggs from another Brooklyn all-star, Andrey Ayrapetov.
Photos and text by Vicky Wasik
