The Finest Blend of Taste & Technology » Chef Kent Rathbun

CUF Chats with 2009 Winner, Martin Weaver

KeeperTeam — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 13:43:40 +0000

Martin Weaver, named winner of Chefs Under Fire 2009 by Chef Kent Rathbun, has grown up in the restaurant industry. At the age of sixteen, he worked with his dad to open up his third barbecue restaurant. Martin went on to attend the Texas Culinary Academy (now Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts) to further his knowledge of food. As a TCA student, Martin also won the Texas Culinary Academy Barbecue Competition as well as Chefs Under Fire 2009 with his killer Pork Tenderloin and Fall Pumpkin Barbecue Sauce (see recipe below), a take on Chef Rathbun’s Wood Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Peach Barbecue Sauce featured in Plate & Vine Interactive Cookbook. And to top it all off – Chef Kent Rathbun is confirmed to be a Celebrity Chef Judge for Chefs Under Fire 2010! Follow Chefs Under Fire on Facebook this week for a chance to win a full case of Kent Rathbun Elements!

Q: How would you describe your style of cooking?
A: Modern American Backyard Cuisine.

Q: Who are your culinary influences?
A: Other chefs like me who are not afraid to try new things and combinations that no one has tried before (and are successful at it).

Q: What’s your advice for Chefs Under Fire 2010 Contestants?
A: Get to know what the judges look for in a dish, and just relax when you’re competing.

Q: What did you learn as a result of competing in Chefs Under Fire 2009?
A: That it feels great to win.

Q: Will you compete in Chefs Under Fire 2010?
A: Yes I plan to compete if my chef allows me to have off.

Think you’ve got what it takes to compete against Martin for his title?

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Calling all Chefs! Chefs Under Fire 2010 Entries Open Tomorrow – June 2

KeeperTeam — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 19:38:53 +0000

Calling all Chefs to the new & improved Chefs Under Fire 2010! If you thought last year was fun, wait ’till you see what’s in store for 2010. More events, more prizes, more chefs, and of course, more heat!

Beginning tonight at midnight, we will officially be accepting entries to compete in Chefs Under Fire 2010! Do you think you have what it takes? Prove it! Do you know someone in the food biz that you think can take the heat? Recommend Chefs Under Fire to them!

Visit www.ChefsUnderFire2010.com and read the Official Chefs Under Fire 2010 Rules to learn more about what it takes to compete in Chefs Under Fire 2o1o.

Follow Chefs Under Fire on Facebook and Twitter, sign up for email updates at www.ChefsUnderFire2010.com, and keep checking back here for the latest news and developments.

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Flames of Success!

KeeperTeam — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:28:43 +0000

Chefs Under Fire™ came and went and left us smiling from its success! From the fervent competition in the kitchen to Jim White’s flavorful commentary to the judge’s insightful remarks, Chefs Under Fire was chock-full of excitement, laughs, and entertainment. At the end of the night, our adept celebrity judges, Chef David Bull, Chef Tyson Cole, and Chef Kent Rathbun, were proud to finally announce the three outstanding winners. After quiet deliberation, Chef Bull selected Keith A. Hildebrandt II (of Texas Culinary Academy) for his exquisite (and inverted!) chicken and pancetta cacciatore, Chef Cole chose Loren Root for his unique, refined version of Cole’s Uchiviche dish, and Chef Rathbun picked Martin Weaver (also a graduate of Texas Culinary Academy) for his original, pumpkin-infused barbecue sauce and pork tenderloin. And as an additional surprise from the judges, they even awarded Keith Hildebrandt the Best in Presentation award for his beautiful Deconstructed Chicken Cacciatore!

Keith Hildebrandt's Deconstructed Chicken Cacciatore

As all three of the judges noted, each contestant created drastically different versions of each recipe, which made the judging exceptionally challenging. Despite the stiff competition between the contestants, the three best dishes certainly stood out, and both Keeper Collection and The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas are very proud of 3 the acclaimed winners! We also want to give a special thank you for the commitment, cooperation, creativity, and above all, the magnificent attitudes of all nine finalists. In addition to the three winners, Alysha Cable (of World Beat Cuisine), Trysh Gonzales and Eli Ollinger (of The Art Institute of Austin) Steve Crisler (of Chefs Creative), Tonni Hinojosa (of HinoSpices™ Rio Grande Catering), and Maite Palma (a graduate of the Hospitality & Culinary Education program at Collin College) were carefully selected as finalists among numerous applicants. Their dishes—and dedication—deserve high praise. Everyone who attended the event would agree that each contestant brought his or her own unique spice to the night!

Keeper Collection, LLC and The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas would also like to recognize Jon Pluskota and his Audio-Visual Team from the Art Institute of Austin for their hard work and organization that was vital in capturing the entire event on film. We can’t wait to release the footage! In addition, we want to thank the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center for providing such a state-of-the-art setting for Chefs Under Fire.

Thank you to everyone who contributed in making Chefs Under Fire a flaming success! After all, the dedication, support, and enthusiasm of everyone involved is what truly fueled the night’s flame.

Did you attend Chefs Under Fire? Comment here to let us know what you thought!

For those of you who didn’t get to attend Chefs Under Fire, check out these great photos from John of Austin and Austin Food Journal’s recap of the event!

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