Chefs Challenge, Kids Cooking and alas...no Pam...

Three times was a charm, as I headed back to Sears HQ for my third trip to the Chicago area since February 4th.  My trip was a triple mission, the first ever Sears Chefs Challenge, pitting me against my dear new colleague Chef Billy Parisi in a cooking battle for hundreds of onlookers in the massive Sears Atrium. Second mission; the launch of our Kids Culinary Cafe interactive cooking events and finally, I had hoped, meeting the ever controversial Pamela Anderson. Yes, that Pam Anderson...

The real challenge of the "Chefs Challenge" was planning and executing this first time event. I went right to "the source", Whole foods Market, weeks ago and found my fabulous new friend and king of "getting my back", marketing master George Economos from the Palatine, IL store. I know that I can count on Whole Foods, wherever I may be, to hook up the best food and to have the best people. I was right and then some. First, we shopped at the store. How fun to select such incredible foods and to know that everything is  fresh and sustainable. George hooked us up with an on stage " bounty table" that rivaled the best Top Chef tables!

Our judges were the top brass from Sears and K-Mart and a former private chef to David Geffen, NO PRESSURE! We had marvelous sous chefs from Sears HQ. My team: Phil Dickert and Beth Quathamer, who rocked. Billy kicked out a gorgeous Seared Seabass with Pan Roasted Vegetables, accented with bacon. He topped it with a crispy carrot salad and drizzled chive oil and balsamic reduction. I created a Citrus Mustard Pancetta Wrapped Sea Bass over Pan Roasted Vegetables accented by a Citrus Beurre Blanc. Yeah, lots to do in 45 minutes, on camera, in front of hundreds, judged by big bosses, watched by your other big bosses who have championed you, up on stage, with two assistants you only met the day before while hitting all of your talking points about our programs, etc.

You know what, it was excellent and worth every minute. In the end, they tied us! Probably a good idea, that is why they are the big bosses...

Two days later, our Kids Culinary Cafe events launched at Sears in the Woodfield Mall. Absolute winner of an event. I catered in crepes and sauces and taught "Lacy Crepes with Fresh Fruit". Three classes back to back with my marvelous boss, Shawn Pauli side by side with me all the way. That is how they do it, wether it is my boss Lisa Ono, operations rock star Michelle Woods or Billy and I, we all do what it takes and that makes such a difference. How cool are they?

Sadly, we were so busy, I missed Pamela Anderson's appearance down stairs with her perfume line. Say whay you may, I love Pam and think she is a fine fox, but I must have held my own against her. I missed her by minutes, only a few glossy photo pages scattered on the floor and just a whiff of her perfume remained...

This weekend, March 13th and 14th, more action. Always more action. The gorgeous Napa Mustard Festival Viking Chefs Stage. Join me as I host this event for Standards of Excellence Appliances with incredible chefs such as celebrity chef Anne Gingrass-Paik and my brilliant friend Andy Wild, of Wild about Food and Drink. Viking (the GSC) is bringing their top notch, Hollywood-style chefs stage to the party with a built in grill, gas burners, a wok burner a convecton oven, refrigeration, Chefs drool. Sorry they do..

http://www.mustardfestival.com/Downloads/NVMF-MPcookingdemo2010.pdf

So, another wild ride. I guess boredom is not a problem I will ever have, eh? Was that all in a week? Thanks to everyone at Aramark, Whole foods, Sears HQ, Lisa Ono, Sears Woodfield ( Nick "living the dream"), the top notch promo team, the Marriott, my mom, my producer, my agent, the Academy...

Pam Anderson, may we meet again. Now let's both fly away home to California...