And the winners are....

            It was a wonderful night. Bright sunlit afternoon, mellowing into a brilliant Island sunset. Ocean breezes, superb music from The Three of Us, Not Brothers and Michael Hulett. Winners announced under a starry coastal sky. So much good food and goodwill!

            Every contestant brought something new and delicious to the table. Thanks to all our contestants, musicians, Silent Auction contributors, our Presenting Sponsors, Stambaugh Aviation, our other community corporate sponsors, volunteers and guests. A special thanks to the King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort, our ever-gracious hosts for the 12^th annual A Taste of Glynn.

Here are our winners for 2012, with the dishes they prepared:

CELEBRITY CHEF’S CHOICE AWARD

Winner: Tasteful Temptations

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD

Winner: Tasteful Temptations

Runner-Up: Indigo Coastal Shanty

APPETIZER

Winner: Tasteful Temptations for Shrimp & Grits with Vidalia onion & tomato jam, sweet corn froth and creamy grits

Runner up: Sea Palms for Proscuitto-Wrapped Saffron Shrimp, with sweet fresh Georgia white shrimp marinated in saffron scented extra virgin olive oil, pinot grigio white wine, crushed fresh garlic, herbs and red pepper flakes, then wrapped in thin slices of prosciutto parma and grilled, served with fresh Italian parsley aoli and baguette rounds. 

SOUP

Winner: Blackwater Grill for Low Country Boil Chowder with Cajun Croutons, a hearty chowder made with Georgia white shrimp, kielbasa sausage, fresh corn and redskin potatoes.  This hearty sop has all the flavor of a low country boil.  Cajun croutons are flavored with Cajun seasonings and olive oil. 

 Runner up: McGarvey’s Wee Pub for Homemade Potato Soup, a creamy, red bliss potato soup with a hint of garlic and white pepper.  The soup is served in a homemade bread bowl and garnished with Colby jack cheese, fresh bacon crumbles and chives. 

HEALTH-CONSCIOUS

Winner: Chef Austin’s Catering for Baked Collard Greens seasoned with smoked meat and no additional sodium or fat

Runner up: Purple Sage Catering for Pad Thai, a low fat, gluten free, meatless glazed stir-fry of rice noodles, tofu, egg, garlic, scallions, crushed peanuts and lime.

BARBECUE

Winner: Right on Q for St. Louis Style Ribs, and according to the chef, “only one way to describe these Ribs!!! DELICIOUS" 

 Runner up: Zachry’s Seafood and Steak for St. Louis Style ribs, rubbed with a special blend of seasonings and spices and slow smoke over oakwood, served with a drizzle of Zachry’s  homemade sweet and spicy Bar-B-Q sauce. 

INTERNATIONAL

Winner: Fox’s Pizza Den Downtown for Southern Italian Sausage Hoagie with grilled peppers, feta cheese and homemade marinara sauce

Runner Up: Nacho’s Mexican Restaurant & Cantina for Shrimp Cocktail with avocado, lime and cilantro over shredded lettuce with fresh tortilla chips

SEAFOOD

Winner: Tasteful Temptations for Lobster Thermador served in its own shell with roasted vegetables

Runner up: King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort for Classic Seafood Paella with chorizo sausage, wild Georgia shrimp, scallops and mussels in a saffron-infused rice

GOURMET

Winner: Fox's Pizza Den Downtown for Old World Chicken Cacciatore with a mélange of vegetables and chicken in a rich base of tomatoes, over ziti pasta, crusty bread with olive oil and fresh basil.  

Runner up: Tasteful Temptations for Braised Beef short ribs with whipped roasted red pepper mash and poached asparagus

DESSERT

Winner: Tasteful Temptations for Bananas Foster, served warm with vanilla ice cream served in a twill cup

Runner up: Baby Mack’s BBQ for Key Lime Cake, topped with cream cheese icing 

TABLESCAPE

Caterer: Chef Austin’s Catering

Restaurant: Ocean Lodge

It's all about love

Food and fun by the ocean at A Taste of Glynn

Scott Bedell is a smart man. And a good planner.

            This weekend marks his first wedding anniversary. Scott just called the offices of Glynn Community Crisis Center and ordered two tickets to A Taste of Glynn. He and his bride are coming to A Taste of Glynn as the first item on their anniversary trip agenda. What better way to celebrate than a trip from the couple’s home in Tampa to the glorious Golden Isles of Georgia? And what better way to kick off your anniversary weekend than to join other warm-hearted people at the beautiful King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort for the 12^th annual A Taste of Glynn?

            Obviously, it is a wise move to try the very best fare that 26 local restaurants and caterers have to offer when you first arrive. That way, Mr. and Mrs. Bedell will be in the know about where they want to dine for the rest of their stay here. And if anyone needs a great anniversary gift idea, they need only to step into the renowned Delegal Room to pick up something special at the Silent Auction.  Dinners for two? Lovely his and hers watches? Autographed sports memorabilia from some of the world’s greatest golfers? Dazzling jewelry? Vacation packages for future special occasions? That’s a “yes” for all of the above, plus more.

            But there is another benefit to attending. It’s the incredible atmosphere of love and generosity that surrounds A Taste of Glynn. A year of planning goes into the party. Local companies like presenting sponsors, Stambaugh Aviation, provide the financial backing and in-kind donations necessary to put the event together.  Three of the most popular musical acts in the area donate their time and talents to add to the enjoyment of the 1,000+ guests who attend. Volunteers by the dozens pour their free time and energies into the countless hours of phone calls, meetings, list-making, more meetings and pure, sheer physical labor required to create one evening of the best food, music and fun you will ever have.  

            And all of this takes place right at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, under the bright stars and sapphire sky of a spring night on St Simons Island. Incomparable food, great music, lavish goodies at incredible prices, landmark historic hotel and impeccable Southern hospitality. All for a good cause. There’s a lot to love.

            Please join us in welcoming Mr. and Mrs. Scott Bedell to A Taste of Glynn on Sunday, March 25 at the King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort on St. Simons. We’ll celebrate their anniversary and raise money for the benefit of the Glynn Community Crisis Center from 5-8 PM. We would love to see you there!

Photo by Lindy Thompson of Golden Isles Photography

The next Top Chef?

Chef Walter Wright, second from right, with his students from the College of Coastal Georgia's Culinary Arts program.

            When you come to A Taste of Glynn on Sunday, March 25, take special note of the young chefs in white coats, with the College of Coastal Georgia’s name embroidered on the front. These are the future executive chefs that will rule the kitchens of fine restaurants, hotels and resorts in the very near future. And maybe they will end up as contestants- and winners- in televised competitions some day. Under the direction of program coordinator, Chef Walter Wright, the Culinary Arts students learn not only from participating but observing how the other contestants prepare and present their entries.

            “This is an ideal learning experience for us,” Walter noted. “Our students will be cooking, of course, but the colleges are allowed to bring in additional students to study how everyone else operates, and how our ‘customers’ react to what they are tasting. We’ll be asking a lot of questions, both at the event and in classes afterwards. Was there a better procedure we could have used? How does a big event like this come together as a whole? This is a great networking opportunity for us.”

            Culinary Arts students from the College of Coastal Georgia are training to be executive chefs, which involves a lot more than being a great cook.

            “Executive chefs are involved in nutrition planning, purchasing, operations and training,” Walter added. “And they are continually educating their taste buds. In our program, we also emphasize the history of cuisine, to give our students a context of how certain dishes evolved and why they are appropriate for specific events or in certain settings.”

            Students will enter dishes in two competition categories that reflect their educational goals. First, a cioppino for the Soup category celebrates our coastal culinary heritage by combining fish and wine in a tomato base. The dish has roots in Portuguese and Italian food traditions, a tribute to the men who brought their commercial fishing expertise from Europe to the Georgia coast a century ago. Their second entry, in the Gourmet category, is a complex, elegant escalope of pork a la Normandie. This dish includes thin slices of pork loin sautéed with apple and Calvados, a smooth apple brandy from France, plus cream sauce, topped with couscous.

            Other lessons are there to be learned at A Taste of Glynn, Walter pointed out.

            “We try to impress on our students that while the Food Network is good for general awareness, in a professional kitchen, the situation is very different. Chef challenges on TV require you to prepare six to eight servings. They use time-lapse video to compress the cooking process into whatever they need for a half-hour or hour show. You get the impression that it is effortless. Competing in a real high-level culinary event like A Taste of Glynn is a reality check.”

            Anyone interested in sampling the talents of future culinary superstars should put the College of Coastal Georgia’s Culinary Arts offerings on their “must-taste” list at this year’s A Taste of Glynn on March 25, from 5 to 8 pm. at the King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort. New this year: the Celebrity Chefs Choice Award, judged by Georgia Governor’s Mansion Executive Chef, Holly Chute. Tickets are available at the King and Prince, and SunTrust Bank locations on Demere Road and Sea Island Road, Palmer’s Village Café and Doug’s Bar & Grill on St. Simons. In Brunswick, purchase tickets at LaiLai’s, Hattie’s Books, color me happy, Zachry’s Seafood and Steak, Baby Mack’s and Moore Stephens Tiller LLC. Or call the Glynn Community Crisis Center at 264-1348.

Photo by Lindy Thompson, Golden Isles Photography