Chefs from 10 embassies faced off for the 2013 Embassy Chef Challenge.
Last month, the chefs competed to cook a dish in two hours using
tomatoes and basket of surprise ingredients. The second part of the
challenge took place last night, when the chefs prepared small plates to
represent the cuisine and culture of their country. Find out who won at
the end of the gallery.
Chef Mukesh Ramniarine of the Embassy of the Republic of Trinidad and
Tobago served corvine nugget in coconut curry nage and congo pepper.
(WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg)
WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg
Last year's winner, chef Viktor Merenyi of Hungary (right), congratulates chef Bates. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
Chef Nathan Bates of New Zealand holds his three awards. In 2005, he won the South Island Chef of the Year. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
Chef Nathan Bate's winning dish. Bates served roasted New Zealand lamb
cutlet with zespri kiwifruit, herb and manuka honey relish.
(WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg)
WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg
Chef Nathan Bates of the New Zealand Embassy swept the competition by
winning all three awards: Judges' Choice, People's Choice and the
Embassy Chef Challenge.
"I'm just stoked. It's a little bit overwhelming at the moment, so it
might take a few hours to sink in," he said after winning.
To celebrate, he said he planned to grab a few drinks with some of
the chefs. "We'll find a local bar somewhere and celebrate together."
(WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg)
WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg
Some of the judges of the event take the stage. From left: Cultural
Tourism DC chair Tim Cox, Washington Post food writer Tim Carman,
chef Xavier Deshayes of the Ronald Reagan Building and International
Trade Center, Duff Goldman, owner of Charm City Cakes in Baltimore and
star of "Ace of Cakes," and Top Chef finalist Carla Hall. (WTOP/Stephanie
Steinberg)
Carla Hall, a "Top Chef" season 5 finalist and co-host of "The Chew,"
judged the previous Embassy Chef challenges. This year, she headed the
auction, but she still sampled every dish.
"This is the cheapest way to
travel," she says. "To come here, go around the world, to have a bite and
get all of the feel for these different cultures, it is amazing."
She wouldn't say which dish she liked the best, but she said El
Salvador's ceviche and Korea's dangun rolls won her over with their
presentation. "The judges have their work cut out for them," she said.
D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray attended the event and boasted that Washington
has some of the "hottest" chefs in America. (WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg)
WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg
Lisa Vasciannie, wife of the ambassador of Jamaica (left), opts for some
dessert. Her favorite dish of the night? "Clearly I have to say the Jamaica
jerk chicken," she says. (WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg)
WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg
Chef Viktor Merenyi of the Embassy of Hungary talks to guests as he
samples the duck tartlets. Merenyi won the Embassy Chef Challenge in
2012 and returned this year as a judge. Being on the other side isn't so
bad, he joked. "I need to eat all night long." Merenyi says he judged based
on style, decoration, taste and how the chef promoted his or her nation
through the food presented. (WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg)
WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg
Chef Roman Shchadrin worked as a chef in Moscow at the restaurant Prague and also
cooked at the Russian Embassy in Argentina. (WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg)
WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg
Chef Roman Shchadrin of the Embassy of the Russian Federation cooked
duck "julien" in tartlets. (WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg)
WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg
Assistants of Chef Zodwa Sikakane, of the South African Embassy, prepare
chakalaka. The dish includes peppers, beans, spices, curry powder and
chili. "You can have it as a condiment, you can have it as main dish, you
can either have it spicy or non-spicy, but today it's spicy," Sikakane says.
(WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg)
WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg
Chef Mukesh Ramniarine of the Embassy of the Republic of Trinidad and
Tobago has worked in The Sutton Place Hotel in Toronto, Grill 23 and
Bar in Boston as well as the World Trade Center of Boston.
(WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg)
WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg
Chef Reyes served a fillet of sea bass with mango and fresh coconut
ceviche with a drizzle of chipilin cream. (WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg)
WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg
Chef Ismar Reyes of the Embassy of El Salvador won the 2010 chef of the
year award from the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Mid Atlantic and is
the owner of Restaurant El Nopalito Grill in Silver Spring, Md.
(WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg)
WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg
Chef James served tropical jerked chicken kabob with pineapple and spicy
jerk sauce. (WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg)
WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg
Chef Sherene James has been the chef for the Embassy of Jamaica since
2008. She competed in the Embassy Chef Challenge last year, but did not
place. "I'm back this year to take the championship," she says.
(WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg)
WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg
Several chefs paired their dishes with signature liquors, like this linie aquavit from Norway. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
Chef Simon Liestol Idso of the Royal Norwegian Embassy served a potato leek soup with cured Norwegian cod at the event. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
The Embassy Chef Challenge took place at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center on 14th Street in NW D.C. (WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
Chef Yang studied advanced culinary arts at Stratford University and has
worked at Adour Restaurant, Zaytinya, Gaylord Hotel and Mandarin
Oriental Hotel. (WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg)
WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg
An assistant of chef Kwang Kenneth Yang of the Embassy of the Republic
of Korea prepares a plate of pan-fried dangun legend roll with vegetable
garnish and rice balls. (WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg)
WTOP/Stephanie Steinberg
Event attendees got to sample Chef Xu's shrimp. (WTOP/Stephanie
Steinberg)
Chef Xu Jinxue from the Embassy of the People's Rebublic of China made
barbeque chicken and sauteed prawn. Xu has worked
in the Chinese
Embassy in Mexico, Angola, Venezuela and Azerbaijan. (WTOP/Stephanie
Steinberg)