The Culinary Classic featured dishes with an “outer space” theme, including this lentil, scallop and polenta dish that was served to guests in tiny spheres.
This week, the Arkansas Hospitality Association held its annual Showcase & Convention event, which is a highlight of the year for many involved in all aspects of the hospitality industry.
But even for those outside of the industry, two events shine as a food lover’s dream: the Culinary Classic and the Iron Chef Arkansas competition.
The Culinary Classic, which was held Tuesday evening, is a ticketed event for public sampling. But before guests arrive, participating chefs send dishes anonymously to a panel of judges, who choose the best in appetizers, soups and salads, entrees, and desserts. This year’s winners are listed below. (Read a preview with more details about the Culinary Classic here, and see photos below.)
The next two days, the trade show floor buzzed with vendors of all kinds, but the foodies knew to head to the back of the room for the Iron Chef Arkansas stage. This live competition, much like the popular show Chopped, gives chefs a mystery ingredients basket in each round that must be used in the dishes. The chefs had 40 minutes per heat to create two plates—one for the judges, and another for winners of a silent auction held at the Culinary Classic. (Read more about Iron Chef Arkansas and the winner here on our sister site, arfoodjobs.com.)
Over four heats on Wednesday and two semi-final heats on Thursday, the original panel of eight Arkansas chefs boiled down to the last two: Casey Copeland of SO Restaurant in Little Rock and Justus Moll of River Grille Steakhouse in Bentonville. Moll took the win with his final dish.
Culinary Classic Winners:
Appetizer
1st – Adam Hanry of Camp Mitchell
2nd – Bonner Cameron of Bistro Catering and Gourmet Take-Away
3rd – Casey Copeland of SO Restaurant
Soup and Salad
1st – Javier Salcedo of Riverfront Steakhouse
2nd – Kamiya Merrick of At the Corner
3rd – Josh Marling of Southland Park Gaming & Racing
Entree
1st – Paul Frintrup of Country Club of Little Rock
2nd – Brandon Douglas of Green Leaf Grill
3rd – Pratik Mungre of Capital Hotel
Dessert
1st – Adam Hanry of Camp Mitchell
2nd – Paul Frintrup of Country Club of Little Rock
3rd – Jan Lewandowski of Pulaski Technical College
Best of Beef Award: Bonner Cameron of Bistro Catering and Gourmet Take-Away
Hiland Dairy Award: Paul Frintrup of Country Club of Little Rock
People’s Choice Award: Mario Torres of Marriott Little Rock
CULINARY CLASSIC PHOTOS
IRON CHEF PHOTOS