Wanna see Tampa and St. Petersburg chefs face off in a friendly-meets-fierce cooking competition for a cause? Look no further than the inaugural Tampa Bay Food Fight.
Hosted by Metropolitan Ministries and scheduled for Oct. 17, the first-time event brings food, craft beer and cocktails to downtown St. Pete's Coliseum with a side of live culinary entertainment. Two teams of six chefs — St. Pete vs. Tampa — battle it out for the title of "Best of the Bay," competing in three categories: appetizer, entree and dessert, which are then judged by a panel of local celebs.
Participating Food Fight chefs include BT Nguyen (Restaurant BT, Bistro BT, BT To Go), Greg Baker (The Refinery, Fodder & Shine), Ferrell Alvarez (Rooster & the Till), Rob Reinsmith (Noble Crust), Luke Decker (The Birchwood), Chad Johnson (Haven, Elevage), Tyson Grant (Parkshore Grill), Ted Dorsey (The Mill), and Josh Hernandez (Ava). But on the main floor, 40 restaurants — including Hawkers Asian Street Fare, 717 South, Fresh Kitchen and Dough Nation — will also compete for crowd votes in various areas (think Best Restaurant and Best Cocktail).
The collaborative event, rotating between Tampa and St. Pete venues every year, is meant to address one of the leading causes of homelessness, which is a lack of marketable skills that results in unemployment. Proceeds will fund scholarships for Metropolitan Ministries' Inside the Box Culinary Arts Program, and tickets, available for purchase online, are expected to sell out.
"As a restaurant owner, I was immediately on board for the Tampa Bay Food Fight," according to Ciccio Restaurant Group partner Jeff Gigante, who's co-chairing Food Fight alongside Outback Steak House and PDQ founder Bob Basham. "Where else can you get the best chefs in the bay competing on one stage all at the same time? Not only do you get to experience an enjoyable evening with incredible food and drink, you are directly supporting a cause that will benefit Tampa Bay for years to come. I wouldn't miss it. You shouldn't miss it."
This article appears in Sep 7-14, 2017.