“Rising Stars” awards dinner Feb. 25th honors top Louisville & Tennessee chefs
Awards dinner benefits Louisville's Food Literacy Project
StarChefs.com online magazine announces its 2014 Kentucky-Tennessee Rising Stars Awards, honoring up-and-coming chefs and culinary professionals. The winners will be showcased at the StarChefs.com Rising Stars Gala on Tuesday, Feb. 25, at the Muhammad Ali Center, beginning with an awards ceremony at 6:30pm and followed by a tasting gala from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
The walk-around tasting gala will showcase 15 of Kentucky’s and Tennessee’s top chefs and restaurants with beverage pairings and cocktails by the winning sommelier and mixologists, in one location for one night only.
General Admission is $85 per person. VIP tickets are $115 and include a private VIP reception with Champagne and Petrossian caviar, beginning at 5:45 p.m. A portion of the evening’s proceeds will go to Louisville’s Food Literacy Project, a nonprofit that provides farm-based education and entrepreneurial youth programs that bring the field-to-fork experience to life. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.starchefs.com.
More than 100 candidates in Kentucky and Tennessee were considered through in-person tastings and interviews. The 2014 Kentucky-Tennessee Rising Stars Award winners are:
Chef Matt Gallaher of Knox Mason (Knoxville, TN)
Chefs Michael Hudman and Andrew Ticer of Hog & Hominy (Memphis, TN)
Chef Philip Krajeck of Rolf and Daughters (Nashville, TN)
Chef Keri Moser of IvyWild (Sewanee, TN)
Annie Pettry of Decca (Louisville, KY)
Levon Wallace of Proof on Main (Louisville, KY)
Pastry Chef
Kayla Swartout of Capitol Grille (Nashville, TN)
Ham Maker Jay Denham of Curehouse (Louisville, KY)
Roaster James Tooill of Argo Sons (Louisville, KY)
Chocolate Maker Scott Witherow of Olive and Sinclair (Nashville, TN)
Sommelier
Julie DeFriend of Oak Room at The Seelbach Hilton (Louisville, KY)
Mixologists
Doug Monroe of Patterson House (Nashville, TN)
Susie Hoyt of The Silver Dollar (Louisville, KY)
Sam Cruz and Jerry Gnagy of Against the Grain Brewery (Louisville, KY)
Restaurateurs
Benjamin and Max Goldberg of Strategic Hospitality (Nashville, TN)
David Mitchell of Mitchell Deli (Nashville, TN)
Sustainability
Matt Lackey of Flyte World Dining and Wine (Nashville, TN)
VIP Host Chef
Patrick Roney of Oak Room at The Seelbach Hilton (Louisville, KY)
A number of additional awards highlight special talents, including:
ß Mixology Award, presented by Hobart
ß Rising Stars Art of Presentation Award, presented by Steelite International
ß Mentor Award, presented by Vitamix
ß Best Dish, voted on by gala attendees; the winner will receive a Jade Range 18-inch commercial plancha,
presented by Jade Range
