For the past decade, the Cast Iron Cook-Off has been described as the premier culinary event in West Virginia, bringing together in competition the most amazing chefs from across the state to prepare their finest re-interpretations of traditional Appalachian fare.
What not everyone has realized throughout that time, however, is that this cook-off has also been the leading local foods showcase. The basic premise from day one was to feature West Virginia local and indigenous ingredients and products - and the greater the extent to which chefs incorporated these crops into their recipes, the higher the judges rated their dishes.
While the emphasis on local foods continues as a basic thrust in the next event Feb. 5 and 6, 2016, at the Charleston Town Center Marriott, there is also a notable change. Those chefs invited to participate during the past ten years have, by and large, brought established reputations, having spent a number of years at their craft.
This year there is a new model for recruitment, as the cook-off proposes to identify the new chef talent in the state: West Virginia's culinary rising stars. Working with the West Virginia Department of Tourism, nominations were solicited from the public and members of the hospitality and tourism industry. The nomination process has just recently closed, and the names and short bios of this next generation of culinary leaders are provided here:
The owner and executive chef at the Vagabond Kitchen in Wheeling, Matt Welsch began what he calls his Vagabond Chef Project in 2013. He rode his motorcycle to over 60 different restaurants and culinary communities across the country, putting over 30,000 miles in the saddle. Then in early 2014, he moved back home to Wheeling and in June opened Vagabond Kitchen.
Chef Welsch portrays his food as "handcrafted" and rooted in local community, which means he "takes a great product and reveals its best flavors, like a sculptor revealing the form hidden in stone." At the Vagabond Kitchen, "We are passionate and informed about food, and we play," he said. We have fun. We discover new things."
"There is nothing like us in the area outside of Pittsburgh and Columbus," Chef Welsch explains about their unique recipes.
"People often remark how our food reminds them of something they would get in California. Whether it's fusion, ethnic or traditional, we use the freshest ingredients to craft a truly wonderful dining experience. And I love cooking with cast iron."
Chef Ilyana Kano, is the executive pastry chef and manager at the Buffalo Diner in Buffalo, West Virginia. She earned a bachelor's degree from Johnson and Wales University in Charlotte, North Carolina, and stated in her application that she has always been fascinated by the fact that food has had a central place throughout history "as a constant that people turned to for celebrations, for ceremonies, for sacrifices, etc."
She goes on to say that she herself "fell in love with food, not only because it makes me feel good, but because it makes others feel good, too. When I make a dish or dessert out of passion and love, seeing the content faces of my guests eating it, is all worth the time and effort to make the dish. My philosophy is to make people feel good, to go above and beyond their expectations when eating. I always strive for it to be a celebration."
Chef James DeCarlo is the executive chef at the Vintage Restaurant & Wine Bar in Elkins. Decarlo has a Culinary Arts degree from Johnson & Wales University in Charleston, South Carolina where he developed his expertise in low country cuisine as well as Italian and German fares.
Chef Decarlo's cooking philosophy is Farm2Fork friendly and he describes it as, "Keep it simple. I use age-old techniques to allow the hard work of the farmers to shine through. I keep my audience engaged with presentations that offer contrasts in colors, flavors, textures, aromas and even height."
Chef Jason Fleck is the executive chef at the 1863 Grill in Elkins. He describes fresh fish as his culinary specialty, which is not surprising because he spent his prior 17 years, before coming to Elkins, as executive chef at Excel Sportfishing in San Diego, California.
His signature dish, in keeping with his expertise in seafood, is grilled scallops with a cilantro/mango aioli and served with mushroom risotto and steamed asparagus. As he said, "really fresh ingredients make all the difference in the world when preparing a great meal."
Chef Fleck described how cooking for people and having them enjoy his food is a blessing he gets to live every day and said that Micheal Symon (from Cleveland) is probably his favorite chef. "Not only is he incredibly talented in the kitchen, he also seems like he truly enjoys what he does. And he seems eager to teach other people his craft. Which I think is important."
Chef Scott MacGregor is the executive sous chef for Snowshoe Mountain Resort and describes his food as "comfort fusion." Since he is from Maryland originally, he especially knows seafood and how to prepare it, and his signature dish is potato encrusted grouper with tomato caper in herb beurr blanc.
Rather than having his cooking influenced by famous chefs from TV shows or other celebrities' cookbooks, Chef MacGregor says that he has been more heavily formed by mentor chefs who have taken the time to shape and mold him into the chef he has become - Chris Ellis, Andrew Brentzzer and Mark Hoffman.
Chef Joseph White, the sous chef at the Bridgeport Conference Center in Bridgeport, earned his AAS degree from the Pierpont Culinary Academy in Fairmont. His describes his area of culinary expertise as classic French with an understanding of international flavors.
He has especially been influenced by Chef Sean Brock from Husk restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina, who Chef White believes has "brought low country Carolina, southern and Appalachian cooking to the realm of fine dining and made it acceptable nationwide." And while he chooses not to be pigeon-holed into one style of cooking, he does love to make slow cooked pork dishes.
What Chef White has learned that has shaped his cooking philosophy is that "it only takes a few seconds to make your plates beautiful. And as long as you love what you are doing it will be conveyed in your food."
Chef Stephen Owens is the executive chef and owner of the Buffalo Diner in Buffalo, West Virginia. He graduated from Johnson and Wales University in Charlotte, North Carolina, and describes his approach to cooking as "simplicity."
"Cooking is about bringing to the plate flavorful ingredients while balancing textures, tastes, and aromas," he said. "When you have great ingredients that are fresh and locally grown, I prefer to let them speak for themselves. I've seen, all too often, dishes falling flat or key ingredients getting buried on a cluttered plate. I enjoy the satisfaction of creating a meal that others can taste and see the fresh ingredients I've used."
Stephen describes how one of the main influences on him as a chef was a high school teacher - Chef Thomas Grant, at Kanawha County's Carver Career and Technical Center, who was his coach during high school culinary competitions and always found time to mentor Stephen and other students.
"Chef Grant's attention to detail and technique really made me focus on not only what I was doing in the kitchen but what everyone else around me was doing, too. In order to lead a staff, or kitchen, or group of students, you have to look past what you are doing and think about the group as a whole," he said.
Earlier this year Chef Robert Osborn, who has been at the Mountaineer Casino and Resort in New Cumberland for over a decade, was named executive chef for the property.
Chef Robert admires Chef Michael Symon of Cleveland who, as Osborn describes, "puts a lot of heart and soul into his cooking - while having fun doing it." Much like chef Symon, Osborn also "cooks with passion and big, bold flavors" in his new leadership role.
"I like to incorporate bold tastes into everything I cook." His signature dish is lasagna with a variety of cheeses and lots of garlic.
Chef Osborn described "cooking as an art: First you see it with your eyes, then with smell, and then only finally with taste. I like to provide the 'wow' factor in my cooking and all the dishes I prepare. I want my customers to walk out of the restaurant saying 'wow!'"
It is interesting and exciting to see that these chefs represent far reaching geographical areas, not merely West Virginia's largest population centers. It is important to remember that these individuals are the nominees, and that a selection committee will choose from this list those who will actually compete.
For more information, visit C21C and WVFarm2U at www.wvfarm2u.org. Send questions or comments to Allen Arnold at aarnold@wvfarm2u.org.