TAMPA, FL (WFLA) — Gas stoves are firing up, knives are coming out, and gloves will come off as pro chefs from across Tampa Bay face-off all for a good cause: This fierce competition will help hungry families across Tampa Bay.
“It’s really such an easy ask when we reach out to chefs and say, ‘Do you want to support this cause?’ There is never a question, they jump right into it, and they are always there to help,” said Epicurean Hotel General Manager Tom Haines.
The Epicurean’s high-tech kitchen is the backdrop for “Epic Chef Showdown,” a cook-off happening for the next several weeks that pits top chefs from across the Bay Area against each other to raise money and awareness for Feeding Tampa Bay.
The event is set up just like a reality cooking show, where chefs have to think on their feet and have just 30 minutes to dish-up something spectacular.
“Both chefs are given a mystery box with two ingredients for two courses, and they have a pantry to work with, they have all the spices they want,” said Haines. A panel of celebrity judges then pick which dish they like best, and that chef moves on to the next round.
The event has weekly cook-offs and the finale is on Aug. 29.
The annual contest is growing as the need to feed the hungry doesn’t stop even in an improving economy.
“I think the question we get all the time is, if the economy is so much better why do people still need food? The reality is a lot of working families don’t have enough money in their monthly budget to make it through,” said Thomas Mantz, the Executive Director of Feeding Tampa Bay.
Even if you can’t make it to a watch party, Feeding Tampa Bay hopes this effort by local chefs will remind people to donate and support the cause year-round.Get more information on Epic Chef Showdown here.Get more information on Feeding Tampa Bay here.
