David Burke, Chef Partner of Fleming’s Steakhouse in Rancho Mirage will battle talented Challenger Pascal Lallemand, Executive Chef of Wally’s Desert Turtle, also in Rancho Mirage.
Each Sunday Night Chef Fight is a fast-paced, no-holds-barred culinary showdown similar to popular cooking competition shows on TV, but with a few extra twists thrown in. Before each event, both chefs are given three base ingredients – a protein, vegetable, and grain/starch/dairy item – that must be included in their creations, a shopping allowance, and a week to plan and prep their dishes for the sixty members of the audience jury.
Then, during the Sunday Night Chef Fight itself, each chef and his or her sous chef will have only 30 minutes to cook and finish samples of each dish for the entire audience as well as incorporate a “mystery ingredient” into the mix while host Chris Kern peppers him or her with questions.
The audience gets to sample each dish and rate each chef’s creations in three categories. Once the totals are tallied, the Sunday Night Chef Fight trophy and title of “Champion Chef of the Coachella Valley,” is awarded. The winning chef has the opportunity to defend his or her title against a new local chef challenger at the next Coachella Valley Sunday Night Chef Fight, to be held on February 19, 2012.
Each Fight also includes an “undercard” bout Vino Vidi Vici, a blind wine tasting competition in which the audience tastes three themed but unlabeled wines, selects a favorite, and then has the opportunity to purchase the wines they liked best. The name and varietal of each bottle is revealed over the course of the evening.
General Seating is $55 per person, which includes the competition, samples of both chef’s creations, and one pour of each Vino Vidi Vici wine. VIP Front Row seating for this event is $80 per person and includes priority service, larger portions of each chef’s creations, two pours of each Vino Vidi Vici wine, and the best seats in the house.
