MoCo Chef Enters Nationally-Acclaimed James Beard Competition

Gaithersburg, MD – On Monday, May 29th, 2017 the James Beard Foundation kicked off its annual burger competition, The Blended Burger Project. Of the 300+ participating restaurants is experienced chef, Tom Hughbanks, a born-and-bred, Montgomery County, Maryland native who has entered his Blue Ribbon Bison Burger on the behalf of Harvest Plates & Pints in Gaithersburg, MD. Chef Tom states, “I take a lot of pride in what I do and where I am from. I hope my participation [in this competition] illustrates the quality and care I have for food and shows how diverse areas like, Montgomery County, can contribute to the evolving culinary landscape without having to be located within a major city.”

The Blended Burger Project aims to change the way Americans eat by bringing awareness to healthier, more sustainable ways to prepare food without sacrificing quality and flavor. Winners are determined by the most popular online votes. The top 5 finalists are invited to the James Beard House in New York City to compete head-to-head for a panel of judges.

The only Montgomery County burger entry, Chef Tom’s Blue Ribbon Bison Burger features a blend of grass-fed bison with umami-rich, chanterelle and morel mushrooms, topped with crisp, fried baby kale, peppered bacon, saga bleu cheese and finished with a smoked tomato jam and a savory black truffle aioli on a freshly toasted ciabatta. Chef Tom’s burger will be featured on the Harvest Plates & Pints menu until online voting ends on July 31st.

Website: harvestgaithersburg.com/

Social Media: facebook.com/HarvestGaithersburg

ABOUT CHEF TOM HUGHBANKS

A budding young chef with a Culinary Arts degree from the Baltimore International College and over 20 years of restaurant experience, Chef Thomas Hughbanks, originally from Poolesville, MD, has shown off his culinary prowess at prestigious locations, such as, the historical Belvedere Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland as Executive Chef of the Owl Bar, the 13th Floor and their in-house catering company, Truffles.

In 2010, he began working as Executive Sous Chef of the Holiday Inn Washington-Dulles, one of the bustling flagships of the B.F. Saul Company properties. Since then, Chef Tom has risen in the ranks and recently, in 2014, became Executive Chef of Holiday Inn Gaithersburg as well as the Holiday Inn Express located in Germantown, Maryland. Executive Chef Thomas Hughbanks serves up his creative menus for a variety of events from bar mitzvahs and weddings to craft beer and wine pairings.

Chef Tom takes much pride in being able to come home to Montgomery County and serve his community through the events at Holiday Inn. While, notable clients include the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Rotary Club of Montgomery County, as well as the Montgomery County Department of Health, he very much takes joy in seeing local members of the community gather and enjoy the meals he and his kitchen can provide.