Susan G. Komen Los Angeles Culinary Showdown benefitting breast cancer on October 22nd in Hollywood- Preview, Tickets
FOOD NETWORK’S TYLER FLORENCE JOINS CELEBRITY CHEFS ELIZABETH FALKNER, BEN FORD, ANTONIA
LOFASO AND MICHAEL VOLTAGGIO FOR THE INAUGURAL SUSAN G. KOMEN LOS ANGELES CULINARY SHOWDOWN
COOK WITH NORTH AMERICA’S HOTTEST CELEBRITY CHEFS
TO SUPPORT THE FIGHT AGAINST BREAST CANCER
August 24 – Los Angeles, CA – Culinary Showdown is a peer to peer fundraising event and gala dinner for home cooks, amateur chefs and foodies, who all have one thing in common – a strong passion for food and the cause! This extraordinary challenge gives culinary enthusiasts the opportunity to fundraise for a chance to cook alongside celebrity chefs in the type of team cooking challenge normally reserved for TV.
It will be held on October 22 at Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles by Susan G. Komen Los Angeles County. By participating in the Susan G. Komen Los Angeles Culinary Showdown, you will also be supporting the fight against breast cancer that affects 1 in 8 women in her lifetime.
The Susan G. Komen Los Angeles Culinary Showdown features an all-star lineup of five Celebrity Chefs, including Chef Tyler Florence, Michael Voltaggio, Ben Ford, Elizabeth Falkner and Antonia Lofaso. Chef Tyler Florence, who for the past 15 year has delighted the masses by sharing the sights, sounds and flavors of his unique culinary vision with fans around the world.
Florence is a veteran star of the Food Network, he has starred in such series as How to Boil Water, Food 911 and Tyler’s Ultimate, as well as The Great Food Truck Race, Food Court Wars, America’s Best Cook and Worst Cook in America.
Along with Chef Ben Ford, whose acclaimed restaurant concept, Ford’s Filling Station, now at the JW Marriott LA Live in Downtown Los Angeles, was awarded the prestigious Cochon 555 prize. Ford concept focuses on the magic that occurs when friends, family and food are brought together. This American restaurateur is a chef, the son of actor Harrison Ford. He also published Taming the Feast: Ben Ford’s Field Guide to Adventurous Cooking.
Another of the Celebrity Chefs is one of America’s Top 10 Pastry Chefs, Elizabeth Falkner, who continues to be a leader and pioneer in the culinary scene. Falkner is a huge fan of cooking competitions and has appeared on more than 30 television competition shows either as a competitor or as a judge. She is a multiple award winning chef and James Beard Nominee and author of two cookbooks, Demolition Desserts, and Cooking Off The Clock.
Antonia Lofaso, currently the Executive Chef and co-owner of the Black Market Liquor Bar and Scopa Italian Roots in Los Angeles, has also joined the lineup of Celebrity Chefs. An American chef, Lofaso has appeared on Top Chef, Cutthroat Kitchen and Restaurant Startup.
Michael Voltaggio is the owner/chef of the highly acclaimed restaurant ink. and the artisanal sandwich concept Sack Sandwiches in Los Angeles. Voltaggio embraces the city’s diverse ethnicities, cultures and industries, dubbing the food and experience there as Modern Los Angeles, earning the title of “Best New Restaurant in America” by GQ.
Voltaggio has been recognized as one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs in 2013, awarded as the winner of the season six of Bravo’s Top Chef, hosted the Travel Channel series called Breaking Borders, and has appeared on shows such as Fox’s Master Chef, Hell’s Kitchen, and as an actor on ABC’s Suburgatory, as well as a holiday special with his brother for Cooking Channel’s Voltaggios Take on Thanksgiving.
John O’Hurley, best known for the role of J. Peterman on the NBC sitcom Seinfeld who was also the host of the game show Family Feud and judge on Iron Chef America, will host the Culinary Showdown.
All proceeds go to Susan G. Komen Los Angeles County, supporting the organization’s work to ensure all women in the Los Angeles community have timely access to affordable breast health care. Participants who raise the minimum of $1,000 will be treated to a gourmet meal as the celebrity chefs and their teams, comprised of the top fundraisers, take center stage to take part in the thrilling culinary battle. Those looking to learn at Celebrity Chefs School and compete in the Culinary Showdown must raise at least $2,500.
The showdown starts with Celebrity Chefs School where the Celebrity Chefs will teach the contestants, on everything from ingredient selection to proper plating. Trade secrets on food preparation, knife techniques, methodology and more will be revealed by top cooking masters – integral for when things heat up in the kitchen during the Culinary Showdown.
The 50 highest fundraisers will be rewarded with the opportunity to put their culinary talents to the test live on stage in tandem with a celebrity chef, as they face off in the Culinary Showdown, a Chopped-style competition at the gala October 22 at Loews Hollywood Hotel. Five teams of 10 will compete under pressure to create three unique dishes, applying the skills mastered during Celebrity Chefs School. Participants will cook each course on the clock, and will be judged by an expert panel on taste and presentation.
To learn more and register, go to www.sgklaculinaryshowdown.org
About Susan G. Komen Los Angeles County
Komen Los Angeles County is the local source for funding programs that provide breast health services, breast cancer education and outreach in their LA county service area. Komen Los Angeles donates 75 percent of net funds raised to vital local breast health services, and dedicates the remaining 25 percent to national research to find the cure. Since 1998, Komen LA County has granted out over $11 million to various organizations for local breast health programs including diagnostic and screening services. Komen Los Angeles has one clear mission: to save lives and end breast cancer forever by empowering others, ensuring quality care for all and energizing science to find the cures.