CUMBERLAND — Chairman Augustus Leckerbissen (portrayed by Jeff Conley) has called out to chefs across Allegany County, looking for the best to compete in Chefs of Steel on May 5.

And two teams of five chefs have answered the call. The home team, reigning from Allegany College of Maryland, are students Sarah Brewer, Daniel Day, Chrissy DeFusco, Caleb Hagelberger and Ronnie Herline. And coming to challenge them is a team of local professionals; Josh Bradburn of the Cumberland Country Club, Sara Carman of Sara Bella Catering, Brian Covell of Wisp Resort’s DC’s Bar & Restaurant; Justin Smith of Ristorante Ottaviani, Jimmy Washington of the Cumberland Holiday Inn and Rent-A-Chef Larry Roby.

This is the fourth year for the Chefs of Steel, sponsored by the Western Maryland Food Bank. The first two years, the professional team captured the win but last year the student team took the stock pot. But will they be able to hang on to it this year?

“The professionals are very hungry,” said Amy Moyer, chairwoman of the Chefs of Steel event. “And Justin and Brian are competing on the professional team this year, but were on the winning student team last year.”

Chefs of Steel is a local fundraiser to help bring money to the Western Maryland Food Bank. The competition was developed during a fundraising committee meeting and modeled after the popular Food Network TV show, Iron Chef, Moyer said.

“This is like no other event, and not the usual fundraiser,” Moyer said. “It’s great food, entertainment and I am positive that all who have attended walk away thinking, ‘Wow, that was fun.’”

Deborah Allen, committee member, agreed and added it’s a great evening out that has a little bit of something for everyone.

“You have time to chit chat with friends and family, relax, eat great food and watch a great competition,” Allen said.

Tickets cost $50 per person but include a dinner at Oxford House, a seat at the live competition, desserts prepared by ACM students, opportunity to sample one of the dishes created by the teams, a silent auction and a 50/50 raffle. The grand prize is a KitchenAid mixer, but other prizes include a dinner for six prepared by Roby, Rent-A-Chef, a flight-seeing tour of Cumberland, gift certificates and gift baskets.

“This is a great event that brings in money for the food bank but also showcases all the things we have to offer downtown and the talents of our local chefs and the students at the college here,” Moyer said.

At the beginning of the competition, the teams are finally told the secret ingredient, which they must use in all of their dishes. They then are given 60 minutes to prepare five dishes for the judges. This year’s judges will be Jessica Holland of Baltimore Street Bar & Grill, Debbie Pasarell of Pasarell’s Deli & Country Market and Dr. Peter Halmos, cardiologist and renowned “foodie.”

Judges will be scoring the teams on taste, originality with the use of the secret ingredient and plating.

“There will be TV monitors up so everyone in the cafe will be able to see what’s going on, but you can also go right up to the glass if you want to be near the action,” Moyer said. “We will also be having commentary about what’s going on in the kitchens.”

She adds the secret ingredient is chosen by Deb Frank of Allegany College and kept under lock and key off-campus so neither the students or professionals have a chance of finding it out. All they can do to prepare is practice cooking together, experiment with different ingredients and different dishes and hope to be the team getting the next plaque on the coveted stock pot

And though the student team may have youth and hours of practice on their side, will it be enough to beat the professionals and their years of experience?

Whose cuisine will reign supreme? Buy a ticket for the fourth annual Chefs of Steel and find out.

The Fourth Annual Chefs of Steel will be May 5, with dinner being served at 5:30 p.m. and the competition beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets are $50 per person and on sale now until the day of the competition, but seating is limited.



Tickets Include:

• Dinner with wine at the Oxford House.

• Seat at “Chefs of Steel” at the Culinaire Cafe.

• Desserts prepared by ACM students during live competition.

• Chance to taste a dish prepared during the competition.

• 50/50 raffle ticket.

• Silent Auction.

The Western Maryland Food Bank has been in operation 25 years now, serving more than 100 agencies and feeding 10,000 people each month. The money collected from ticket sales and the silent auction will help go toward purchasing food and operational costs for the food bank.

For more information, or to purchase a ticket, contact Amy Moyer or Robyn Garland at the Western Maryland Food Bank at (301) 722-2797.





Contact Tess Hill at thill@times-news.com.