The teams were given 60 minutes and had to make Finger Lakes themed dishes using primarily Finger Lakes and NY State ingredients, most of which were kept secret until the clock started.

The finals heat had a them of “Picnic in the Finger Lakes” and focused on developing the perfect picnic-style meal. Teams had to use locally sourced foods, pair them with wines from the Canandaigua Wine Trail and prepare one special drink, either hot or cold, to be put into an L.L. Bean drink canister.

The winning meal consisted of:
- Mixed greens salad with apples and scallion over a bed of fresh beets with apple cider balsamic, lemon bitters and avocado oil.
- Tea sandwich with date walnut bread and a goat cheese fennel puree.
- A “Surf and Turf”. Steak marinated in chocolate balsamic olive oil and cinnamon balsamic with a potato and carrot salad. Smoked scallops paired with a blackberry and white wine sauce.
- Nut and raisin “no bake” cookie with marshmallow inside, coated with dark chocolate and cayenne pepper with granola on top.
- A traminette mulled wine with lemon bitters and cherry bitters, apple juice and cherry juice.
- A Finger Lakes Riesling.

The teams had to choose an ideal setting to have their picnic. Chef Bray and his team chose a setting at Stony Brook State Park after a long hike, eating in a lodge by a beautiful fireplace.

Chef Bray was able to outdo the competition and take first place against Chef Debra Whiting of Red Newt Bistro in Hector, NY and Chef Paul Midgley, representing Onondaga County and Manlius, NY.

“Everyone that competed in this competition was great,” Said Chef Bray. “I was going up against a lot of great chefs. It was exciting as a professional and it was a lot of fun, the team was awesome!”

The judges’ voting criteria included the teams’ ability to plan a creative menu highlighting the Finger Lakes products. How well the chef delegated to and directed the amateur participants was also taken into consideration as well as how the teams cooked to the specific Finger Lakes theme.

“We are really fortunate to have so many quality local products and chefs in the Finger Lakes. It amazes me how the teams did a great job at cooking to the Finger Lakes specific themes and really showcased what the region has to offer,” said Valerie Knoblauch, President of the Finger Lakes Visitors Connection. “All these chefs are responsible fore putting Finger Lakes cuisine on the map.”

For more information on the competition, contact the Finger Lakes Visitors Connection at 877-386-4669 or visit www.SliceDiceandSpiceNY.com.

Finger Lakes Visitors Connection is the official tourism promotion agency for Ontario County and is located at 25 Gorham Street in Canandaigua. For more information, please visit www.visitfingerlakes.com or call AJ Shear of the Finger Lakes Visitors Connection at 585-394-3915 or e-mail aj@visitfingerlakes.com.

PHOTO CAPTION: The winning team stands in front of their winning dishes. From left to right, Leah Wilson (Democrat and Chronicle), Chef Carl Bray (Geneva On The Lake), Karen Miltner (Democrat and Chronicle), Matt Wittmeyer (Canandaigua Magazine) and Emily Shearing (Democrat and Chronicle).

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Canandaigua, NY – On Monday, nine chefs from the Finger Lakes Region and their teams of amateur “foodies” battled it out in the Slice, Dice and Spice NY preliminary rounds at the New York Wine and Culinary Center. Three winning chefs and their teams will head to the final round next Sunday, Sept. 19, in this Iron Chef-like competition to crown this year’s Slice, Dice and Spice NY champion.

The teams were given 60 minutes to make Finger Lakes themed dishes using primarily Finger Lakes and NY State ingredients, most of which were kept secret until the clock started.

Chef Deb Whiting's Team cooking up some 'comfort food'.

The first heat of the day had a theme of “Apres Ski in the Finger Lakes” and focused on comfort food. Chef Debra Whiting, of Red Newt Bistro, in Hector, NY, won the heat with her team consisting of David Whiting (Red Newt Bistro), Rebekah Lamoreaux (Watkins Glen Chamber of Commerce) and Denise Chaapel (Sweet Expressions). The meal consisted of:
- Potato gnocchi with Fingerling potatoes with bacon and ricotta cheese in a garlic cream sauce
- A kasha cassoulet with sauteed apple pork sausage, ham, almonds and herbs
- A vegetable terine with eggplant and zucchini
- Carmelized peaches with chocolate covered granola and a grape sauce with a spiced whipped cream
- A white and milk chocolate cocoa

The second heat of the day had a “Bed and Breakfast in the Finger Lakes” theme and focused primarily on breakfast. Chef Carl Bray, of Geneva On The Lake, in Geneva, NY, won the heat with his team consisting of Dennis Ferlito (Bejo Seeds), Karen Miltner (Democrat and Chronicle) and Matt Wittmeyer (Canandaigua Magazine). The meal consisted of:
- A flight of fresh grape juices featuring local grape varieties
- A roasted fruit salad finished with a maple glaze, ricotta cheese and granola
- A cinnamon apple Blini with a balsamic glaze topped with smoked apple sausage and maple syrup
- Eggs Benedict with Monks Bread and a cider reduction with cashew butter and pork sausage
- Buckwheat apple crepe with sunflower butter
- A savory apple cider smoothie with thyme and tarragon

The third heat of the day had a “Pre Theater – Girlfriends’ Getaway” theme and focused on finger foods before heading to the theater. Chef Paul Midgley, representing Onondaga County and Manlius, won the heat with his team consisting of Sharon Nagle (Firefly Farm), Jim Roger (Rochester Public Market) and Chan Kaopuiki. The meal consisted of:
- Oven roasted fingerling potatoes with a trout and crab salad with grapes on top
- Buckwheat groat cabbage rolls
- Local tomato gazpacho with grilled cheese quesadilla on top featuring local cheeses
- White chocolate fondue with peaches, plums, apples, graham crackers and candied bacon
- Applewood and hickory wood smoked venison loin wrapped in bacon and local micro greens with a grape reduction topped with grapes
- Heron Hill Game Bird red wine
- Tart Cherry Stomp mixed with a Heron Hill Riesling

These three chefs and their teams will battle it out one more time in the final round on Sept. 19 from 1-4 PM at the New York Wine and Culinary Center in Canandaigua. In addition to the finals competition, there will also be tasting booths, and an awards ceremony at the finals. The event is free and open to the public and will also be broadcast live online at www.SliceDiceandSpiceNY.com.

The New York Wine and Culinary Center will be open to the public on the day of the finals. The restaurant, tasting lounge and gift shop will be fully operational during the Slice, Dice and Spice NY competition.

For more information on Slice, Dice and Spice NY, please call the FInger Lakes Visitors Connection at (585) 394-3915 or visit www.SliceDiceandSpiceNY.com.

PHOTO CAPTION: Chef Debra Whiting (Center), of Red Newt Bistro works with Rebekah Lamoreaux (left) of the Watkins Glen Chamber of Commerce and Denise Chaapel (Right) of Sweet Expressions at the Slice, Dice and Spice NY competition.

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Everyone’s got a culinary event now, and we all want to be just like Iron Chef, right? Maybe so, but not every event is held at the internationally known New York Wine & Culinary Center in the beautiful Finger Lakes Region of New York. With 11 lakes, abundant produce and a booming wine industry, there is quite a bit of culinary talent here, so why not have a Contest to see who is the best?

At Slice, Dice and Spice NY 2010, 9 chefs from around the Finger Lakes will battle it out with their teams of amateur foodies to determine who is the ultimate Finger Lakes chef. They will be given 60 minutes and have to make three dishes using primarily Finger Lakes and NY State ingredients.The theme for their dishes will be given to the teams, just before the start of the clocks.

The third annual Slice, Dice and Spice NY is a Finger Lakes Visitors Connection event:

- Preliminary rounds:  September  13th at noon til 8:00 PM at the New York Wine & Culinary Center in Canandaigua.

- Final round: Sept. 19, 1 PM to 4 PM at the New York Wine & Culinary Center. This event will include tasting tables for local restaurants and wineries, an awards ceremony and door prizes. The final round is open to the public and media.

If you would like to be on a team, observe the event, be a judge or come to the Finger Lakes for a culinary FAM tour, please contact AJ Shear, Finger Lakes Visitors Connection at 1-877-FUN-IN-NY.

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A chef has lots of tools to work with. Knives, a recipe book, and their oven… but what about the ingredients around them? The Finger Lakes has an abundance of local products from jams and jellies to wines to mustards. During the finals of Slice, Dice and Spice NY 2010, those attending the event will be able to enjoy the flavors of the Finger Lakes from many local food producers and wineries. Many of the products and wines will be the same items the chefs in the competition are working with.

Congratulations to these Finger Lakes Champs!

HEAT ONE:    Chef Debra Whiting, Red Newt Bistro, Hector and her team.

HEAT TWO:  Chef Carl Bray, Geneva on the Lake, Geneva and his team.

Heat THREE:  Chef Paul Midgley, Manlius in Onondaga County and his team.

In the Slice, Dice and Spice NY 2010 preliminary rounds from noon to 8:00 PM on Monday, Sept. 13, nine professional chefs from around New York’s Finger Lakes lead nine amateur teams in an Iron Chef-like competition featuring New York State’s culinary assets. Three heats will determined the finalists that have moved on to the finals event on Sunday, Sept. 19. The preliminary rounds were held at the New York Wine and Culinary Center, 800 South Main Street.

On Sunday, Sept. 19 from 1 PM to 4 PM, three professional chefs and their winning teams of amateur foodies will face off in the finals of Slice, Dice and Spice NY 2010 to determine who the ultimate Finger Lakes chef is. Teams create a meal using local market basket ingredients from the Finger Lakes. The finals event will include tasting booths, an awards ceremony and door prizes.

The finals event will be at the New York Wine and Culinary Center, 800 South Main Street, Canandaigua NY. For more information, call 1-877-FUN-IN-NY.

At Slice, Dice and Spice NY, chefs and with their teams of amateur foodies from around the Finger Lakes, will  sift out just what exactly depicts the ultimate Finger Lakes cuisine. What do you think?

Congratulations to the 2010 Winning Team!

The Slice Dice, and Spice team led by Chef Carl Bray of Geneva On The Lake in Geneva, NY  came in first in the final round of the Slice, Dice and Spice NY competition held at the New York Wine and Culinary Center on Sunday the 19th. Click here to read about what they prepared.

Here are the Teams that moved forward from the Preliminary Round held on Monday the 13th.

HEAT ONE:    Chef Debra Whiting, Red Newt Bistro, Hector and her team. This team cooked to the theme for Apres Ski in the Finger Lakes.

HEAT TWO:  Chef Carl Bray, Geneva on the Lake, Geneva and his team. This team cooked to the theme of A Finger Lakes B & B Breakfast.

HEAT THREE:  Chef Paul Midgley, Manlius in Onondaga County and his team. This team cooked to the theme of  Pre-Theater Girls Getaway.

On September 13th, nine top chefs from the Finger Lakes teamed up with a group of amateur foodies and competed against each other in an Iron Chef-like event to be held at the New York Wine & Culinary Center. Each team created a meal using common “Market Basket” ingredients and cooked to a distinct Finger Lakes Experience. .All of these ingredients come from New York State and showcase the vast array of products that can be found in our area. Along with creating a variety of dishes within one hour – the chefs will have the task of pairing each of their dishes with a wine from the Canandaigua Wine Trail.

The meals were judged by a panel of food experts from the Finger Lakes, and the top chef of each heat has moved on to the Slice, Dice and Spice NY Finals on September 19th.

At the finals, there will be tasting tables from local and regional restaurants, food producers and wineries along with live music. The culinary competition will be simulcast throughout the Center for multiple viewing opportunities. On this day, the chefs will compete as they did on the 13th, only this time, one team will be crowned the winner of 2010’s Slice, Dice and Spice NY competition. This annual event is produced by Finger Lakes Visitors Connection, as a tourism initiative to highlight the culinary bounty available in Ontario County, NY.