Over the last eight years, Feeding Tampa Bay’s “Epic Chef” “Chopped”-style cooking competition has become a familiar sight inside the Epicurean hotel’s culinary theater. But last Monday in South Tampa featured a few unprecedented events.
For starters, the competition saw two women chefs—Jada Vidal from Noble Rice and Adrianna Siller from Bandit—going head to head. And for the first time ever, scoring from the judges—which included Tampa Bay Buccaneer Jamel Dean—ended in a tie.
The audience, which enjoyed a four-course dinner and wine-pairing prepared by cooks at Epicurean and Feeding Tampa Bay’s Trinity Cafe, was left to decide via a real-time poll that was also locked at a tie until the last second when Siller topped Vidal 50.39% to 49.61%.
Siller moves on to face round one winner Evan Lipman from Wild Child in an all-St. Pete final that can be livestreamed on July 24.
And if you want more Epic Chef in your life, the nonprofit—which has a mission to end hunger in Tampa Bay—will livestream a matchup between past Epic Chef champs (July 31) and another battle of executive chefs on Aug. 3 (Cena’s Michael Buttacavoli against Wild Child’s Rob Reinsmith).
Photo by Kate Scaglione c/o Feeding Tampa Bay
(L-R) Adrianna Siller and Jada Vidal at Epicurean hotel's culinary theater in Tampa, Florida on July 17, 2023.
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