Carlos Salazar, executive chef at Rook, was the Chef Par Excellence award winner at the Jan. 28 Taste of Elegance competition, sponsored by Indiana Pork. In addition to taking the top spot in the judging, Salazar also won the people’s choice award with his dish, seared pig face hash terrine with 63-degree egg and crispy pig ear.
Second place, the Supreme Chef Award winner, was Brendon Cheney of the JW Marriott. His dish included compressed pork cheek with seared pork belly, fried egg and suspended Meyer lemon bacon.
Chef Dean Sample of Oakleys Bistro took the third-place Premium Chef Award for his pork cheek schnitzel with braised pork belly, pork fat dumplings, fried pig ears and jowl-braised cabbage.
First place: Seared pig face hash terrine with 63-degree egg and crispy pig ear by chef Carlos Salazar of Rook.
Second place: Compressed pork cheek with seared pork belly and fried egg from the JW Marriott’s Brendon Cheney.
Third place: Pork cheek schnitzel with braised pork belly, pork fat dumplings and fried pig ears from Dean Sample of Oakleys Bistro.
