Milton Chef to Participate in Best Chef Challenge

Chef Tony DeRienzo, Executive Chef of Abby Park and Novara in Milton, will face off in a local cooking competition to benefit Quincy Community Action Programs, Inc. (QCAP). The event, its Fifth Annual Best Chef, will take place at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 6 at Granite Links Golf Club in Quincy. The competition features some of the area’s most celebrated chefs in a battle of culinary skills.

Susan Wornick will serve as master of ceremonies. Chef DeRienzo will battle for the Best Chef title against Paul Wahlberg of Alma Nove & Wahlburgers; David Todisco of the Tavern at Quarry Hills, Granite Links; Jose Munoz of The Fours; and Greg Jordan of the Quarry Restaurant in Hingham.

The challenge: In a race against the clock, the chefs must use a basket of secret ingredients commonly provided by QCAP’s Southwest Community Food Center – the organization’s food pantry. Using only a convection oven and a handful of portable burners, they must take these basic ingredients and create a gourmet dish. Past ingredients have included corn flakes, canned green beans, and peanut butter.

Crowning the 2016 Best Chef will be judges Marc Bertrand of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Chazy Dowaliby, former editor, Patriot Ledger; and Barbara Isola, Quincy School Committee and host of "Into the Frying Pan."

New this year: One lucky guest will have the opportunity to bid and win a spot at the judges’ table, helping to sample the dishes and select this year’s Best Chef.

As always, all guests can sample dishes from the chefs’ restaurants as part of the “People’s Choice” competition.

The night will also feature raffles and live and silent auctions, including vacation packages, sporting and entertainment event tickets; autographed memorabilia; fine art; jewelry; and golf, restaurant, and spa gift certificates.

Tickets are $100 per person and $175 per couple. Event proceeds will benefit QCAP programs, which serves more than 22,000 unduplicated people annually in Quincy, Weymouth, Braintree, Milton, Hull, and more than 80 surrounding Norfolk County, South Shore, and Metro Boston communities. For more than 50 years, QCAP has been the leading, non-profit organization in the Greater Quincy area dedicated to reducing poverty and helping low-income families achieve economic security.

In addition to the Southwest Community Food Center, services include adult education and workforce development, financial education, including money management and credit repair counseling, job coaching and placement, Head Start and Early Head Start, access to quality and affordable early education and care, family engagement activities, heating assistance and weatherization, homebuyer education, mortgage foreclosure counseling, affordable housing, homelessness prevention, and housing services.

Major sponsors include: Rockland Trust, Bank of Canton, State Street, Mutual of America, Stop & Shop, Wells Fargo, Woodard & Curran, Anodyne Medical Services, Eastern Bank, Granite Telecommunications, The Law Office of George Burke, Loomis, Sayles & Company, MountainOne Bank, Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, Quincy Mutual, South Shore Savings Bank, Ameresco, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Brewster Ambulance, Dunkin’ Donuts/The Carvalho Family, Jay Cashman, Inc., EnTrust, Fallon Community Health Plan, Income, Research + Management, Mayor Thomas P. Koch, Steward Carney Hospital, and the Quincy Rotary Club.

For more information on QCAP and to purchase tickets, visit www.qcap.org