“Fish to Fork” Culinary Weekend
The second annual “Fish to Fork” culinary weekend on Florida’s Amelia Island takes place April 30 through May 3, 2015, at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort, 39 Beach Lagoon Road, Amelia Island, Florida.
“Fish to Fork” festivities challenge six chefs from around the country to join Amelia Island charter captains for a fishing excursion before turning their catch-of-the-day into scrumptious seafood during the weekend’s main event.
Additional activities include interactive chef-led cooking classes, spirits tastings and the opportunity to fish alongside the chefs.
The culinary competition will culminate in a chef showdown from 6 to 9 p.m. May 2, 2015, featuring five visiting chefs p0lus the resort’s Executive Chef Daven Wardynski. This year’s competitors include 2015 James Beard Award semifinalist, Kathleen Blake of Orlando’s The Rusty Spoon; three-time James Beard Award semifinalist Hector Santiago, owner of El Super Pan slated to open in Atlanta in fall 2015. Also competing are previous James Beard Award semifinalist for “Best Chef South,” Tom Gray of Moxie Kitchen + Cocktails in Jacksonville, Florida; owner, executive chef and wine director of The Fig Tree in Charlotte, NC Greg Zanitsch, and grilling guru Linkie Marais who competed on “Next Food Network Star.”
The main event showcases the chefs’ skills as they compete in individual and group challenges; transforming a secret ingredient and local seafood sourced during their fishing excursions into dinner. The chefs will ultimately be tested with a live vote from guests who sample dishes throughout the event.
“Fish to Fork” is held in collaboration with the James Beard Foundation and benefits the foundation’s scholarship program.