Nickel City Chef – Battle Bread

Kevin Telaak

Nickel City Chef Battle Bread, featuring pain rustique, traditional French baguette, Grain Up! sourdough, and vollkornbrot from Elm Street Bakery in East Aurora, NY, took place on March 8, 2015. Nickel City Chef Brian Mietus of Bacchus Restaurant and his sous chef, Soichiro Kimura, took on Challenger Dustin Murphy of Tabree, and his sous chef Adrian Bylewski.

Judges included Izabela Wojcik, Director of House Programming for the James Beard Foundation, chef Brad Rowell of Elm Street Bakery, and chef Corey Kley of Rue Franklin, a winner from season six.

The show was held at Artisan Kitchens & Baths in Buffalo, NY and hosted by Bert Gambini, Chef Mike Andrzjewski (Seabar, Tappo, Cantina Loco, and Bourbon & Butter), and special guest, chef Adam Goetz of Craving.

Nickel City Chef – Competition 3 of Season 5 at Artisan Kitchens and Baths

Kevin Telaak

Nickel City Chef, a Feed Your Soul production, is an exciting and popular cooking competition, but it is so much more than that too.

Nickel City Chef offered up the third competition on this year’s schedule at Artisan Kitchens and Baths, 200 Amherst St. Buffalo, NY 14207 on March 24th with a battle featuring De Maas Amber Ale from Community Beer Works. CBW is Buffalo’s only nanobrewery and in less than a year of competition has garnered national awards and recognition. Most recently they took second place in a well-regarded national IPA challenge, a feat previously unheard of for a brewery so small.

Challenging Chef Carmelo Raimondi of Carmelo’s in Lewiston, took on Nickel City Chef Brian Mietus, owner and executive chef of downtown’s well-appointed Bacchus. Judges for the day included Ivy Knight, Toronto food writer and Editor-in-Chief of the lauded Swallow, Chef James Roberts of Park Country Club (winner of Nickel City Chef’s 2011 Battle: Beer), and Chef Chris Dorsaneo of Lloyd, a winner from 2012’s Nickel City Chef series.

As always, the show took place at the stunning interactive showroom of Artisan Kitchens & Baths where the chefs are able to work on Viking and Jenn-Air appliances. Nickel City chef is hosted by Bert Gambini and Chef Mike Andrzejewski. Photography by Wabi Sabi Foto. Video by Brian Mihok.

Here is the URL for this episode: http://youtu.be/fLjYCkPHIe8

Next on the roster is the 24th installment of the show, which takes place on April 14th and features Nickel City Chef Adam Goetz versus Chef Edward Forster of Mike A’s in the Hotel Lafayette.

Nickel City Chef’s fifth season sold out in less than a day. Feed Your Soul, the production company behind the series, seeks to showcase the culinary talent, in the field and the kitchen, that exists here in WNY.

This season is sponsored by Niagara Falls Culinary Institute, Wegmans, Cutco, Artisan Kitchens & Baths, Leonard Oakes Estate Winery, D’Avolio, Healthy Options from Independent Health Foundation, Mansion on Delaware Avenue, You & Who, BuffaloIndustryNight.com, and fine appliance companies, Viking, Fisher & Paykel, DCS, and Sub Zero/Wolf.

“Nickel City Chef: Buffalo’s Finest Chefs & Ingredients” features over 32 recipes, farm profiles, chef bios, and competition insights from the hit show’s first three seasons. Plus each book holds a DVD featuring video from a selection of challenges and the film “Food for Change.” 

Buffalo/Niagara’s live take on the hit show “Chopped” at Artisan Kitchens and Baths

Kevin Telaak

NEWS CAMERAS, PHOTOJOURNALISTS, AND PRESS WELCOME
Show runs from 6pm-8:15pm on Weds 11/7 at 200 Amherst Street, Buffalo

Feed Your Soul , the Buffalo-based production company behind the hit Nickel City Chef series (soon to enter its fifth year), presents its newest program, Nickel City Firing Line!

Firing Line features cooks and chefs from WNY restaurants, battling it out in front of a live audience in a format not unlike the top-rated Food Network series, “Chopped.”

In this three-part series (including two preliminary matches and one finale), accomplished young chefs will compete to complete several successful dishes under difficult time restraints and utilizing unknown ingredients furnished by local farms and artisan foodmakers.

This event will take place in the stunning loft showroom of the west side’s Artisan Kitchens & Baths. Three competition-worthy kitchens face the audience seating area, suitable for 200 guests. A live camera beams images from the flame and sweat fueled competition kitchens onto flat screen monitors that hang above the audience, providing them with an up close and personal experience from any seat in the house. A cash bar and gourmet snacks are provided.

At each match, a panel of professional judges will select the winner, ultimately giving one young chef the chance to make a name for himself in the increasingly intense and exciting WNY food scene. The winners of each preliminary match will also walk away with Cutco’s popular Galley Set. Cutco, located in Olean, NY is the only company still manufacturing kitchen knives in the United States.

Hosted by Bert Gambini and Buffalo’s favorite chef, Mike Andrzejewski, Firing Line is sure to be a hit, just like its big sister, Nickel City Chef.

Firing Line is sponsored by Cutco and Artisan Kitchens & Baths.

Match One takes place on Wednesday, November 7th (link)

This Match is hosted by Bert Gambini, Chef Mike Andrzejewski, with special co-host Chef Adam Goetz (Sample)

Judges include Chef Ross Warhol (The Athenaeum), Kristen Becker (foodie and comedian), and Nelson Starr (Nickel City Chef judge)

 

Chef Teddy Bryant / Lloyd   Christopher Bryant, known to his friends as Teddy, is the sous chef for Lloyd Taco Truck. Prior to that, Bryant earned an Associates Degree from the Culinary Institute of America before working at some of the finest and busiest restaurants in the country. He began with an internship at Le Cirque in New York, before moving to Las Vegas where he worked as a butcher for the Venetian Hotel, as a grill cook for Nobhill in the MGM Grand, and as the sous chef of Bradley Ogden at Caesars Palace, to name just a few of the esteemed listings on his resume. A Buffalo-native, Teddy credits his grandfather’s skills in the kitchen with inspiring him to become a chef.

Chef James Gehrke / Mike A at Hotel Lafayette  James Gehrke, currently in the kitchen at Mike A at Hotel Lafayette, has earned quite a reputation as a culinary competitor here in Buffalo two-time winner of the annual sous chef competition, held by Nickel City Chef at the Taste of Buffalo every year, and longtime sous chef to Nickel City Chef Adam Goetz, Gehrke may have more hands-on competition experience than all of our Firing Line competitors combined. Completely self-taught, Jimmy credits his abilities to the local chefs he has worked for who have taken the time to impart their knowledge to him.

Chef Jason LaMotte / Global Spectrum and The Conference & Event Center, Niagara Falls   Jason LaMotte is executive chef for Global Spectrum, The Conference & Event Center in Niagara Falls. He attended Paul Smith’s College, earning an Associates Degree in the Culinary Arts. Born in Western New York, he grew up in New Orleans, eventually becoming an Executive Chef for John Besh restaurants. His culinary style focuses on bold flavors and honest preparations, but his world travels have also influenced his approach. After stints as an executive chef under Gordon Ramsay in London and Eastern Europe, he became the regional executive chef for Hard Rock Cafe in the Czech Republic. LaMotte and his wife Petra have three children.

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Match Two takes place on Wednesday, November 14th

This Match is hosted by Bert Gambini, Chef Mike Andrzejewski, with special co-host Chef JJ Richert (Torches)
Judges include Chef Brian Mietus (Bacchus), Kevin Purdy (Buffalo Spree restaurant critic), and Don Burtless (BuffaloEats.org)

Chef Donald Cook / Sample    Donald Cook is the executive sous chef at Sample restaurant in Allentown. A graduate from the French Culinary Institute, Cook is a Buffalo native, who has recently returned from cooking in New York for the last five years. Cook, who feels that working clean and remaining professional are keys to his success, has worked at the Michelin-starred Rouge Tomate and as tournant under Chef Nate Appleman at Pulino’s. Cook’s firm belief that using proper technique and process when preparing food is just as important and the taste and quality of the final product.

Chef Daniel Kirby / Seabar   Daniel Kirby works as a sous chef at Buffalo’s four star Sea Bar. A western New York native he is a graduate from the ECC Culinary Arts program. His passion for fusing classic and modern techniques might be most evident in his employ at Sea Bar, where his knowledgeable, creative, and even-tempered skill set are put to the test on a daily basis. Influenced by his idols, Eric Ripert and Thomas Keller, Kirby works to insure that his work pays respect to each individual ingredient.

Chef Anthony Petrilli / Park Country Club    Anthony Petrilli can currently be found in the kitchen of our region’s most food-forward club, Park Country Club. A graduate of the ECC Culinary Arts program, Petrilli spent three months working in a restaurant on Italy’s Amalfi Coast before returning to the States. An 18-month stint in Toronto working for the lauded Oliver & Bonacini restaurant group taught him to work in an environment of well-executed systems and impeccable professionalism. Ambitious and passionate, Petrilli feels that growing up with a vegetable garden in his backyard taught him that food isn’t just sustenance, it can be divine.

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Finale to be held on Sunday, December 2nd, competitors TBA

This Match is hosted by Bert Gambini, Chef Mike Andrzejewski, with special co-host Chef Adam Goetz (Sample)
Judges include Julia Burke (Buffalo Spree restaurant critic), Andrew Galarneau (Buffalo News restaurant critic) and TBA

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About Feed Your Soul

Feed Your Soul is a company dedicated to developing and executing both private and public events focused on the food and agriculture of Western New York.  Feed Your Soul’s events focus on showcasing the bounty that is Western New York’s legacy.  Our company was founded on the firm belief that agritourism and culinary tourism should not only be a major aspect of living and traveling in WNY, but are a fundamental component to Buffalo’s renaissance.

WNY Cupcake Competition Features Local Bakeries at Artisan Kitchens and Baths

Kevin Telaak

Nickel City Cupcake Challenge is third in a series of baking/decorating challenges developed by Feed Your Soul, a Buffalo-based company that produces culinary competitions, farm tours, and more. (Previous events: Sweet & Spooky Cake Challenge, Buffalo Wedding Cake Challenge)

On November 4, 2012, nearly 200 audience members will pack the Artisan Kitchens & Baths loft showroom on Buffalo’s west side. A live, head-to-head baking competition will feature three of the region’s most creative and talented cupcake artists. Each baker will compete in two heats—the first, to present the judges and audience with their signature cupcake, the second, to bake and decorate original cupcakes utilizing a secret ingredient.

The audience will watch from their seats, which provide a great view of all three competitors, as well as up close shots from a roving camera which beams images onto the showroom’s dozen or more overhead flat panel monitors. Hosting the event is Buffalo personality Bert Gambini.

Elsewhere in the large refurbished 19th-century warehouse, guests can sample Lake Effect Ice Cream and snacks prepared by Sample restaurant. Each guest will also cast a vote for their favorite signature cupcake.

Nickel City Cake Challenge is an event designed to celebrate the art of baking and to drive home the idea that our region is flush with talented bakers who deserve the opportunity to truly showcase their talents in a public forum. The program also works to support small, independent businesses.

The 2012 Cupcake Challenge competitors include:

Justina Adams of The Buffalo Cakery ~ Buffalo
Genevieve Perryman of Cupcake Orchard ~ Orchard Park
Kelly Audette of Fairy Cakes Cupcakery ~Buffalo

The 2012 Cupcake Challenge judges include:

Brian Donaghy,
Criollo Group, Chocolatier, pastry chef, and two-time competitor on Food Network’s “Cake Challenge”
Alli Suriani,
BuffaloEats.org, Cupcake lover and part of duo behind Buffalo’s most popular food blog, Buffalo Eats.
Mark Mistriner, Niagara Culinary Center, Culinary Educator and the American Culinary Federation’s Northeast Chef of the Year

A limited number of tickets remain:  http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/28116

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Feed Your Soul is a company dedicated to developing and executing both private and public events focused on the food and agriculture of Western New York.  Feed Your Soul was founded on the firm belief that agritourism and culinary tourism should not only be a major aspect of living and traveling in WNY, but are a fundamental component to Buffalo’s renaissance. It is best known for its popular Nickel City Chef series, Cake Challenge, and annual farm tours.

Nickel City Chef Season 4 Begins

Kevin Telaak

Feed Your Soul, WNY’s culinary production company, is proud to present Western New York with Nickel City Chef’s fourth season, a four show series running from Feb. 20 – April 15th

Sunday’s competition features Nickel City Chef Krista Van Wagner of Curly’s versus Challenging Chef Frank Mercado, the Executive Chef of M&T Bank’s Executive Dining Room.

Following on the heels of the release of Nickel City Chef’s top-selling cookbook, tickets for this competition and the rest of the 2012 series sold out in less than 45 minutes.

Press and camera crews are encouraged to attend.  Please use the contact information above if you have any questions or are in need of hi-resolution photographs.

More information about Nickel City Chef is noted below the biographies of this week’s participants.  A full Season Four, 2012 schedule and video from past seasons can be found online at www.NickelCityChef.com


Nickel City Chef, Sunday February 19th

This Week’s Chefs were:


Nickel City Chef Krista Van Wagner
Chef/Owner, Curly’s–Buffalo, NY

Nickel City Chef Krista Van Wagner is a graduate CIA with experience in a variety of positions that called for her to work in Switzerland, the Caribbean and various regions of the U.S. Krista and her husband are the chef/owners of Curly’s, one of Buffalo’s most reputable fine dining establishments. Curly’s utilizes the Van Wagners’ passion for Caribbean food and their classical French training to provide diners with a unique and delicious experience. Curly’s success has led to growth–an expansion which included the addition of a banquet center and private dining room. In addition to the restaurant business the couple manufactures a line of sauces/condiments for use in the wholesale/retail sector. Chef Van Wagner and her husband reside in WNY with their 3 children.

Challenging Frank Mercado
Executive Chef, The M&T Executive Dining Room–Buffalo, NY

A graduate of the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute, Frank Mercado’s lengthy resume includes some of Buffalo’s best restaurants—Oliver’s, Tsunami, and Siena among them. As Executive Chef for M&T Bank’s private Executive Dining Room, every day he creates a new menu featuring the world’s freshest ingredients. When not running the scratch kitchen for one of Buffalo’s most prestigious banks, he works shifts at both Torches and Sea Bar in order to keep his skills honed and his experiences varied.

This Week’s Judges:

John Bourdage

Consultant—Buffalo, NY


John Bourdage, of Bourdage Consulting, provides consultation on the improvement of interpersonal relationships through a renewed understanding of service and social skills. As a graduate of Ivor Spencer School for Butler Administration, Bourdage received training in manners, etiquette, food and wines, entertaining, and the fine arts.

Mary Ann Giordanno

Executive Chef and Season Three Winner, Creekview—Buffalo, NY


Mary Ann Giordanno describes her cuisine as “American fusion,” drawing from Mediterranean, Italian, European, and Asian influences. With more than 25 years of experience in the restaurant industry, she has been the Executive Chef at Williamsville’s Creekview Restaurant since 1997. As a chef instructor at Auburn Watson Culinary School, Giordanno shares the passion for cooking she learned from a childhood she describes as being “surrounded by food and life in the kitchen.”

Nelson Starr

Musician and Host, Buffalo. For Real TV—Buffalo, NY


Buffalo Music Hall of Fame inductee Nelson Starr is best known as one of Buffalo’s most influential musicians. Recently, Nelson has turned his keen acumen toward Buffalo’s food scene, bringing celebrity chef and Travel Channel star Anthony Bourdain to Buffalo and hosting Buffalo. For Real TV. Starr has dedicated himself to exploring and revealing WNY’s most treasured cultural gems, hidden hangouts, and beloved pastimes, all with a dose of self-deprecating humor and naive charm.

About Nickel City Chef:

Nickel City Chef pits two chefs against one another in a culinary fete not unlike the popular television show Iron Chef America. At each event, one of our four Nickel City Chefs faces a qualified challenger in a race to complete three technically perfect, innovative dishes featuring the secret ingredient. Because of our dedication to New York, our secret ingredient is always an item that it grown or produced in Western New York.

A panel of qualified judges rates each chef’s offerings using a scoring method that accounts for skill, flavor, appeal and creativity.  This exciting and unique series takes place inside one of Buffalo’s best kept secrets, a turn-of-the-century warehouse on Buffalo’s emerging West Side. Formerly a wood-­burning stove company, Artisan Kitchens & Baths is Western New York’s premiere appliance retailer. Its second floor is a loft showroom completely outfitted with side-by-­side $100,000 competition‑worthy kitchens.

The 200 attendees at each event watch the battle unfold live while sampling catered snacks.  The audience’s ability to enjoy the event is enhanced by the 10 flat screen panel televisions that hang throughout the location providing close-ups of both chefs’ stoves, work spaces and plating areas. Extra points are awarded to the chef that earns the respect of the audience.

Our Nickel City Chefs include Chef Adam Goetz of SAMPLE, Brian Mietus of Bacchus, Chef JJ Richert of Torches and Chef Krista Van Wagner of Curly’s. 

Many thanks to the other sponsors: Jenn Air, SubZero, Wolf, GE Monogram, Cutco, Wegmans, Mansion on Delaware Avenue, D’Avolio, Independent Health Foundation/Healthy Options Buffalo, Buffalo Cheese Traders, the Buffalo chapter of the Chaine de Rotisseurs, Taste of Buffalo presented by Tops, Buffalo Spree and Kemper Cabinets

Nickel City Chef Season 4

Kevin Telaak

 

Nickel City Chef Season Four Dates & Ticket Sales Announced!

Nickel City Chef’s production company, Feed Your Soul, has been hard at work lining up secret ingredients, special guest judges and challengers for our fourth season of cooking competitions which will feature celebrity judges, WNY’s top chefs, and homegrown ingredients.

Following on the heels of Western New York’s hottest selling holiday release, Nickel City Chef: Buffalo’s Finest Chefs & Ingredients, we anticipate tickets for all four shows in 2012 to sell out within 36 hours.

Taking place in the stunning loft showroom of Buffalo’s Artisan Kitchens & Baths, Season Four’s schedule of dates is listed below. Tickets for the 2012 season go on sale at noon Friday, January 6th. Tickets are $38 each and include catered gourmet snacks and access to a cash bar during the event. We do not recommend this event for children under 16.

Links to online ticketing will be available on our website at NickelCityChef.com.

Many thanks to our sponsors: Wegmans, D’Avolio, Mansion on Delaware Avenue, Independent Health, the Buffalo chapter of the Chaine des Rotisseurs, and our partners, Buffalo Spree, Artisan Kitchens & Baths, and Taste of Buffalo presented by Tops.

Below we have noted the 2012 schedule, as well as Nickel City Chef’s Mission Statement. Please contact us if you are in need of hi-resolution photos or video footage. Each show is hosted by WBFO’s Bert Gambini and Buffalo’s top chef, Chef Mike Andrzejewski of Sea Bar.


Sunday, February 19th

Nickel City Chef Krista Van Wagner ofCurly’s versus Challenging Chef Frank Mercado of M&T Bank’s Private Executive Dining Room

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Sunday, March 4th

Nickel City Chef Brian Mietus of Bacchus versus Challenging Chef Dunbar Berdine of Black Rock Kitchen & Bar 

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Sunday, March 25th

Nickel City Chef Adam Goetz of Sample versus Challenging Chef Christopher Daigler of Encore

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Sunday, April 10th

Nickel City Chef JJ Richert of Torches versus Chef Chris Dorsaneo of Lloyd Taco Truck


 

The Mission

Feed Your Soul is proud to present Western New York with its fourth season of Nickel City Chef, a unique and entertaining event designed to expose the general public to some of our area’s top chefs and farmers.

Nickel City Chef is as much about Western New York as it is about cooking. We are privileged to live in an area with a rich history enhanced by hearty ethnic foods and one of America’s greatest contributions to casual cuisine—the chicken wing. And, while these culinary icons are as important to Buffalo as professional sports teams and world-class architecture, in culinary terms, they are not all that we have to offer. In kitchens all over the city chefs with technical skills, adventurous natures, and pristine palates are preparing well-composed plates that would dizzy even the harshest critic. Nickel City Chef is designed to provide an arena in which these talented individuals can showcase dishes that may be too daring or complicated to warrant a permanent position on a dinner menu.

Anyone who spends time in Buffalo quickly realizes that our region is unique. Independently-owned restaurants appear at nearly every turn in our city, but many of our most dedicated foodies are unfamiliar with the breathtaking bounty that grows mere miles from our doorsteps. With over 1,300 farms in Erie County and more than 6,000 others in our region’s other counties, we are a notable contributor to New York States’s well-established annual yield of apples and milk. But what you may find surprising is that we also have farmers who grow a wide variety of premium crops. Produce such as mushrooms, artichokes, kiwi fruit, and dozens of varieties of garlic and heirloom tomatoes aren’t unheard of in these parts. Still others raise unique breeds of hogs and cows, collect honey, or make artisanal cheeses. By committing to using a locally raised or produced item as our secret ingredient in every challenge, Nickel City Chef hopes to enlighten and encourage pride in our region’s fantastic agricultural abilities.

Investing your hard-earned food dollars in Western New York, whether it is at locally owned restaurant or in your local supermarket’s produce section, has a positive, long-term impact on our regional economy. Did you know that spending your money with a locally-owned restaurant keeps 3x more money, here, circulating in Western New York than it does when you eat at a chain? Additionally, locally owned businesses typically reinvest in the local economy at a 60% higher rate than a chain.


About Feed Your Soul

Feed Your Soul is a company dedicated to developing and executing both private and public events focused on the food and agriculture of Western New York. Feed Your Soul was founded by food editor Christa Glennie Seychew, whose firm belief that agritourism and culinary tourism should not only be a major aspect of traveling in WNY, but are a fundamental component to Buffalo’s renaissance. Nickel City Chef is only one of Feed Your Soul’s projects, see the Feed Your Soul website for a closer look at this homegrown WNyY business (www.eatlocalbuffalo.com).

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