Local chefs to duke it out at SoDel Fest Sept. 29
Two teams of top area chefs will go toque to toque at the Fourth Annual Southern Delaware Wine, Food & Music Festival, scheduled for 12 to 4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 29, at Independence Hall in Millsboro.
The live Chef Throwdown, held during the festival, pits teams representing Lewes and Rehoboth.
“In the past, two chefs competed in a ‘Chopped’-style challenge with mystery ingredients,” said Stacy LaMotta, founder of Creative Coastal Connections Corp., the 501c3 corporation that organizes the festival. “This year, we decided to shake it up by having two teams of three well-known Sussex County chefs.”
Matt Kern, the executive chef at Heirloom, leads the Lewes team, which also includes Ryan Cunningham, executive chef at Bonz in Harrington and a Lewes native, and Maurice Catlett, executive chef at Matt’s Fish Camp in Lewes.
Lion Gardner, executive chef and co-owner of the Blue Moon in Rehoboth Beach, is heading up the Rehoboth team, which also includes Nate Leonard, executive chef and co-owner of 208 Social, and Jason Dietterick, executive chef at Bluecoast Seafood Grill + Raw Bar in Rehoboth Beach.
As before, the chefs will receive a mystery box of ingredients and the teams must use each one, along with items from a simple pantry and three ingredients they can bring with them. They will have a limited time to complete their dishes.
Food writer and radio host Bob Yesbek, aka the Rehoboth Foodie, is the celebrity judge. He will be joined by Jonathan Spivak, a home chef and former restaurateur, food writer Pam George and Doug Ruley, corporate chef for SoDel Concepts.
Michael Sprouse, the on-air host and executive producer of “Coastal Cuisine” and the “Arts & Entertainment Report,” will emcee the action.
SoDel Fest also features up to 20 dishes prepared by regional chefs that are paired with more than 50 wines, beers or spirits. The festival also offers live music. Discounted tickets are currently available for $75 per person until Tuesday, Sept. 4. After that, tickets are $85 per person, and $95 at the door.
In addition to the main festival on Saturday, SoDel Fest will hold A Taste of Tuscany, a six-course wine dinner, with winemaker Conte Manfredo di San Bonifacio from Tuscany Friday, Sept. 28, at The Clubhouse at Baywood in Millsboro. Tickets are $95.
SoDel Fest has raised more than $60,000 for nonprofits. This years’ beneficiaries are Children & Families First and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware.
For more information, go to www.sodelfest.com.
