Michigan Chef Wins Third Place in Pork Industry’s Taste of Elegance Contest

In the 12th annual national Taste of Elegance contest in Washington. D.C,. David Rensi of the Anjou Bakery in Brighton, Mich. won third-place honors. $1,000 and a gift pack of Ironstone Wine with his entree Hudson Valley Tenderloin.

The national Taste of Elegance competition is sponsored by the National Pork Board utilizing checkoff funds. The national contest feature 20 chefs all winners of state and regional Taste of Elegance contests. In the National contest, the chefs from Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Illinois, Colorado. California, Louisiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Minnesota. Michigan, South Carolina, Florida, South Dakota, Pennsylvania and North Carolina created an original pork entree that was judged for taste, appearance and originality. The contest was created to encourage chefs to use pork in creative, non-traditional ways.

Scott Pisula of Jamestown, NC., won top honors with his Smoked Polynesian Spare Rib Chop.” Pisula, of the Greensboro Country club, won $5,000. He also won a trip for two to the Ironstone Vineyards in Lodi, Calif.. sponsored by Ironstone Vineyard

“The national Taste of Elegance contest brought some of the nation’s best chefs together to share their talent using pork” said National Pork Board Vice President Hugh Dorminy. of Russellville. Ark. Dorminy was one of more than 300 people who attended the national Taste of Elegance competition, which was held at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C. ‘This type of elite competition inspires chefs from across the county to use pork in planning their fine-dining menus.”

‘It’s important to keep creativity in the foodservice sector because that’s an area that increased use of pork by 1.3 billion pounds from 1996 to 1999 - twice the total growth in foodservice,” Dorminy said. “The checkoff-funded research showed growth in pork in all segments of restaurants. but pork definitely has a spot on fine-dining menus.”

With Stuffed Breast of Pork with Cannellini Beans and Braised Fennel, Thomas Oden and France Dunn of the Santi Restaurant in Geyserville, Calif, won second place, $2,000 and a double magnum of Ironstone Wine.

Michael D. Myers of Wetherby’s in Williamsburg, Iowa, was recognized for outstanding culinary achievement in “Best Food and Wine Pairing during the competition by Ironstone Vineyards and Winery.

Michigan Pork Producers Association sponsors the Michigan Taste of Elegance contest that is held annually during the Michigan Pork Conference in February.