Top Chef of the Culinary Coast competition set June 12 in Rehoboth Beach

The Rehoboth Beach Convention Center will be the site of the first Top Chef of the Culinary Coast competition 5 to 8 p.m., Thursday, June 12, when the public is invited to sample dishes created by 10 celebrity chefs then cast their votes to pick a winner. The event will benefit Meals on Wheels Lewes-Rehoboth.

Chefs from some of the Culinary Coast’s premier restaurants will be paired with local producers and farmers who will provide the freshest ingredients Sussex County has to offer to create cuisine to tantalize the tastebuds and win votes in this friendly competition for a cause.

Along with voting for Top Chef of the Culinary Coast will be opportunities to pick Sexiest Food, the Best Reinvention of a Delmarva Tradition, Food You Couldn't Live Without, and the Most Creative Chef. Live music will be provided throughout the evening by Viki Dee and Paul Cullen.

Small dishes created by renowned chefs from favorite local eateries will be offered: Kevin Reading of Abbott’s Grill, Joe Churchman of Bramble and Brine, Mark Buchanan of The Brick Hotel, Maurice Catlett of Fish On, Gretchen Hanson of Hobos Restaurant and Bar, Paul Gallo of Nage, Ronnie Burkle of Northeast Seafood Kitchen, Robert Iannacconi of the Rehoboth Beach Country Club, Matt Kern of Salt Air, and Ciro Verdi of Touch of Italy.

Ticket price is $45 and includes not only tastings but two drinks courtesy of Delaware Distilling Company and 16 Mile Brewery (must be 21 or older to attend). There will also be ice cream tastings from Hopkins Farm Creamery and coffee tastings from The Point.

Participating restaurants and local producers and farmers are members of Local on the Menu, the Southern Delaware Tourism initiative that connects restaurants with producers of wholesome, locally grown and sourced ingredients.

Local on the Menu producers will provide ingredients for the competition, and will include Lavender Fields Farm, Touch of Italy, Big Fish Seafood, Zitvogel Farms, Pure Harvest Farm, Evans Farms, Good Earth Market, Swallow Acres Farms, Naked Farmer, Williamsville Farms, and Baxter Farms.

Tickets for Top Chef of the Culinary Coast are available at the Cape Gazette offices in Nassau Commons, the Meals on Wheels office just west of Coastal Highway on Route 9, and at Rehoboth Main Street offices adjacent to the Convention Center. Tickets can also be purchased at visitsoutherndelaware.com/TopChef. Remaining tickets will be available at the door.

Proceeds benefit the Meals on Wheels Lewes-Rehoboth home-delivered meal program. In 2013, MOW Lewes-Rehoboth served 102,540 nutritious meals to 291 homebound citizens in eastern Sussex County. Volunteers, gave 9,064 hours of their time and drove 87,000 miles to make meal deliveries.  Meals on Wheels Lewes-Rehoboth also provides holiday meals, gifts and cards to families that would otherwise have nothing. For further information, contact Meals on Wheels Lewes-Rehoboth at 302-645-7449, kkeuski@comcast.net, or visit www.beachmeals.com.