Applewood Crowns 2019 Chopped Champs

By Heath Braunstein, Director of Dining Services

Applewood crowned new champions at its annual Food Network-style Chopped resident cooking competition in February.

Seven resident teams were challenged to use all of the Mystery Basket Ingredients to create original recipes. This year’s Challenge Basket included:

• Jumbo shrimp
• Brown rice
• Broccoli rabe
• Italian pancetta

I had the honor of judging the submitted recipes along with Executive Chef Charles Arolla.

There was genuine excitement in the air when residents, competitors and staff convened for the Chopped Finale.

Chef Charles and I critiqued each entry, citing the strengths and weaknesses of each submission.

Recipes were judged on:

• Use of all required ingredients
• Culinary creativity
• Completeness and documentation of culinary technique

Every entry was deemed to be delicious in its own right, but we had to select a winning team.

Find out more about the exclusive Culinary Institute of Applewood, part of Applewood’s exclusive Engaged Living™ program.

Socializing, Great Food and Friendly Competition

For the second consecutive year, there was a three-way tie. Each of the three teams submitted an unmatched recipe for which there was no clear winner.

This year’s Chopped champions:

• Upper East Side Plus One (the Sterns, the Clarks, A. Freedman and K. Slobodin)
• Mangia Bene (the Milazzos, M. Ausmus and S. Schwartz)
• The nameless-nevertheless-talented-group (F. Bianculli, G. Goldstein, J. Frailey, the Van Steenhovens).

Sixteen winners were presented with an inscribed crystal trophy, a CIA chef hat and apron and a personalized certificate for outstanding culinary excellence.

Additionally, residents who attended nine or more CIA seminars over the past year were entered into a raffle for 17 culinary-themed prizes which included blenders, knife sets and wine glasses.

Our Exclusive Culinary Institute of Applewood

Due to the continued strong support and response to our CIA programmatic offerings, we will continue the program in 2019, featuring four new classes starting in March 2019.

The Culinary Institute of Applewood has grown to be one of the most popular resident activities in our community.

Let’s face it, we Americans are all foodies, in one way or another.

Our mission is to keep mealtime healthy, exciting to the palate and something to be shared with friends and family.

If you’re ready to have more fun, socialize, learn new things and get healthier than ever, find out more about living an active and engaged lifestyle at Applewood. Call (732) 303-7416 for information and to schedule a visit soon.