Fancy Pants Foodie

Foodie news, reviews and how-tos from Arkansas and beyond.

  • Home
  • About
  • Gluten Free
  • PR/Ads
  • Contact Me

A Taste of the 2014 Culinary Classic

September 16, 2014 by arfoodie

Sweetbreads and pork belly by Arturo Solis of the Capital Hotel took top honors at the AHA Culinary Classic. More details on awards to come.

Sweetbreads and pork belly by Arturo Solis of the Capital Hotel took top entree honors at the AHA Culinary Classic.

Last night I had the privilege of helping judge the Culinary Classic at the Arkansas Hospitality Association’s 70th annual Convention and Trade Show. (SEVENTY years!)

If you’ve read my blog for any time, you know that this conference is my favorite thing all year. The Culinary Classic kicks things off with a bang!

Anyway, the AHA Culinary Classic is an annual event, always held the night before the trade show begins. Chefs from across the state gather in the Statehouse Convention Center to offer their best plates to judges (I was one for entrees) and to those who bought tickets to the tasting-style event. It’s always full of surprises, both from innovative new plates and from new chefs to the event and community. If you missed it, be sure to buy a ticket next year and join us.

Award winners:

Soup/Salad

1st Jason Godwin, Acxiom – Sopa Azteca

2nd Jason Knapp, Green Leaf Grill – Thai spiced sweet potato soup

3rd Adam Hanry, Camp Mitchell – Purple pea soup

Appetizer

1st Micheal Mayer, LR Marriott – Crab and smoke gouda stuffed tempura shrimp

2nd Jason Knapp, Green Leaf Grill – Three see seared salmon

3rd Matthew Cooper, Cache – Dungeness crab cakes

Entrée

1st Arturo Solis, Capital Hotel – Sweet breads

2nd Stephen Burrow, Clinton Presidential Center – Korean BBQ veal ribs

3rd Jason Knapp, Green Leaf Grill – Pan seared filet of beef

Dessert

1st Jason Godwin, Acxiom – Curry roasted fruit tart

2nd Adam Hanry, Camp Mitchell – Animal crackers

3rd Lauren Creel, LR Marriott – Deconstructed peanut butter and jelly

People’s Choice

Adam Hanry, Purple Pea Soup

Best of Beef

Stephen Burrow, Korean BBQ veal ribs

Hiland Pride Award

Matthew Cooper, Dungeness crab cakes

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: Arkansas Hospitality Association, chefs, competiton, Culinary Classic

« On Conferences, Food Blogging and Business (#AWBU, AHA and #IFBC this month)
Matt Cooper of Cache wins 2014 Iron Chef Competition »

Comments

  1. Jennifer A. Janes says

    September 18, 2014 at 6:43 pm

    Sounds entirely YUM!
  2. Deborah Brauser says

    September 17, 2014 at 10:16 pm

    Yum! You had me at the "Crab and smoke gouda stuffed tempura shrimp" plus crab cakes. But then the desserts absolutely did me in. They sounded and looked so good!!
  3. Georgeanne @ Eggshells says

    September 17, 2014 at 3:47 pm

    I've always wondered how this works... is it like, just a taste? Do you get to eat the whole thing? I would want to eat the whole thing.
    • Christie Ison says

      September 17, 2014 at 4:56 pm

      The public event is a "tasting" event, with tiny plates of everything. As judges, we got full-size plates, as to better judge presentation, but were limited to the category (I was on entree.) BUT -- you generally don't want to eat very much of each, since we got about 8 of said full-size plates!
  4. Tiffany Hathorn says

    September 17, 2014 at 1:09 pm

    This post made me entirely too hungry. Oh, to be a judge at that contest!
  5. Lisa says

    September 17, 2014 at 8:31 am

    I have to be careful when perusing your blog- it makes me hungry. HUNGRY. Korean BBQ Veal Ribs? hmmmmm intrigued.
    • Christie Ison says

      September 17, 2014 at 8:36 am

      Yeah dude. And the sides are what made that one so killer. (Well, besides the perfectly-cooked veal.) Lotus root crisps, seaweed salad and a PERFECTLY dressed apple and carrot salad.
      • Lisa says

        September 17, 2014 at 9:17 am

        see. Hungry.

Trackbacks

  1. The Around Town Round-Up « says:
    September 25, 2014 at 8:37 pm
    […] did things turn out for this year’s AHA Culinary Classic? Check in with Fancy Pants Foodie for a complete listing of the […]

Let’s keep in touch!

Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links meaning I earn a commission if you use those links. If I recommend something specifically, you can trust that I've used it and I love it.
Fancy Pants Foodie
Tweets by @ARFoodie

Recent Posts

  • I’m Still Alive (And Eating a Weird Diet)
  • Arkansas Hospitality Conference a Food Lover’s Dream (PHOTOS)
  • Culinary Classic Offers a Taste From Arkansas’ Best Chefs (GIVEAWAY)
  • Diamond Chef Arkansas 2016 at Pulaski Tech CAHMI
  • 2016 ProStart Arkansas Competition

Copyright © 2022 · Foodie Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress