worcestersbestchef.hs-sites.comWorcester's Best Chef Competition

Home The WBC Team Competitors Photos Winners Press & Media Contact Judges WBC Schedule Floor Plan 13th Annual Congrats to Chef Drew Day of the Flying Rhino - Iron Chef Winner and recipient of the Stanley J. Nicas Trophy and his winning dish of roasted venison chop, sweet potato puree, gochujang chocolate reduction, and raspberry gremolata (pictured below)! Photo Credit: Devildresseddown ​ 13th Annual Winners: Judge's Choice Awards: 1st place: Chef Keith Polaina from Samuel Slater's Restaurant ; 2nd place: Chef Mike Wenc from deadhorse hill ; 3rd place: Chef Drew Day from Flying Rhino People's Choice Awards: 1st place: Chef Eudemar Cavalcanti from Comeketo - Brazilian Cuisine ; 2nd place, Chef Tom Kepner from rail trail flatbread co. ; 3rd place, Chef Al Maykel from Cohasse Country Club People's Choice Best Student Dessert: 1st place, Tantasqua Regional High School ; Runner ups: Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School and Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School 104.5 XLO Perfect Palate Award: Chef Robin Clark representing Bocado Tapas Bar Unclaimed Raffle Ticket Winners: 314826, 314828, 315525, 314413 Please email Traci at Traci@peppersartfulevents.com to confirm pick up location. " Being in the food industry requires dedication and sacrifice. Chasing dreams comes at a big expense. Sunday, January 26th proved to me that all those years of striving, grinding, and pursuing more for my career have paid off. It has been a goal of mine to compete in Worcester's Best Chef since I have been attending as a spectator for the last seven years. I was in my glory being one of the many competitors, standing side-by-side with chefs I've looked up to in recent years. I had my staff, some of my great friends, and my family backing me the whole night; that experience alone was fulfilling to me. But as I heard my name called for the First Place Judges Choice Award, tears filled my eyes remembering what I had given up to get here. We can't get back those missed birthdays, Mother's Days, or watching children grow up but being acknowledged in my craft proved to me I made the right decision. I am honored and grateful for this experience. " - Keith Polaina of Samuel Slater's Restaurant, 2020 1st Place Judges' Choice Award About WBC Since 2007, the Worcester’s Best Chef Competition has been promoting the Central Massachusetts area as a culinary destination for foodies. With its vast array of offerings, Central Massachusetts is rich with culinary expertise and creativity, and has more than enough talent to be considered a destination city equal to Boston, Providence, Hartford, Portland, and many others. WBC’s goal--since inception--has always been to showcase that talent. Recently, WBC organizers have taken the event in a new, fun, and engaging direction, one that introduces many unique attributes and experiences to our foodie community and truly showcases to our crowd of 1,200+ foodies the culinary genius of chefs not just from Worcester, but from all over Central Massachusetts. The Masters of Ceremonies for the entire evening are WXLO Morning Show hosts Jen Carter and Rick Brackett. The narrators of the live Iron Chef portion of the competition are Hank Stolz and Food Network Cooks Vs. Cons featured chef Jay Powell. The Competition At WBC, there are two categories of competition: Judges’ Choice and People’s Choice. As part of the People’s Choice Award, guests taste through the wonderful dishes created by all of the professional competing chefs, as well as the dessert choices offered by the student chefs competing with each other, and then vote their top 3 pro chef choices and favorite student dessert by text message. The results are tabulated and certified by on-site staff from the CPA firm of Houssan & Ojerholm, PC, and are announced on stage by our Masters of Ceremonies. The Judges’ Choice Award is granted by the 6-member panel of judges, who vote their top 3 choices. Those 3 chefs are then invited on stage to compete live, Iron Chef-style, in front of the full crowd, on Thermador cook tops provided by Hudson Appliance. This all culminates in an exciting, suspenseful decision by judges as to which of the three will ultimately become Worcester’s Best Chef. The Iron Chef segment of the competition is co-hosted by Chef Jay Powell. Chef Jay’s recent accomplishments include: Inaugural Chef for the first Worcester’s Chopped Competition to raise money for the Jeremiah House Worcester’s Magazines Best Chef 2015, 2016, 2017 Les Amis d'Escoffier Society Inducted in 2014 Central Ma Best Chef 2017 Top 5 Chowders and Soups in New England 4 years running Bay Path Chili Champion 2013, 2016, 2017 Bay Path Chowder Champion 11 different episodes of Phantom Gourmet Top 10 Brunch Restaurants Hidden Jewel Phantom Gourmet Placed #19 at the World Food Championships in the Best 50 Chefs of the World division. By invitation only. Multiple wins from 2013 - 2017 at the Tantasqua HS Team Chef Competition #2 Bistro In MA Featured on Food Network’s Cooks Vs. Cons 2016 Chef to the New England Studios and Independent films Hank Stolz has been waking up Worcester for a quarter of a century and will be a co-host for the VIP experience. He recently began the Radio Worcester Network, a group of shows dedicated to live and local talk radio. The flagship program "Talk of the Commonwealth" airs mornings from 6-10 a.m. on AM 830 WCRN. Hank can also be heard from 1-3 p.m. on WPKZ the K-Zone. He lives in Worcester with his family. Thank you, Hank! Paying It Forward Another objective of the event is to assist in the development of up-and-coming chefs. Since its start, the event has hosted high school culinary students who interact with and shadow the competing pro chefs. The students also receive a donation at the end of each year’s event. Each school will be vying to take home the People’s Choice Award for Best Student Dessert. This year's participating schools are: Bay Path Tantasqua Regional Technical High School Blackstone Valley Regional Cooking Demos (from 3pm - 5pm): Wilson Wang Denny Corriveau Jay Powell Karol LeBrun of Karol's Corner Amenities At WBC, you’ll enjoy luxury and convenience. Historic Mechanics Hall is a vibrant and classic concert hall overflowing with charm, character, and sophistication. It is the preferred location for entertainers of world-wide fame and significance, and at WBC, you’ll feel like one of them. Valet parking, a paparazzi photo mob, balcony seating, coffee baristas, specialty spirits tastings, wine tastings courtesy of Julio’s Liquors in Westboro, craft beer tastings courtesy of Harpoon, Blue Moon, Sam Adams and Wachusett breweries, and passed Champagne and massage therapy in the VIP suite are just a partial list of the amenities at WBC. Come one, come all, and vote your palette! What does a VIP ticket get? VIP ticketholders enjoy strolling through and interacting with chefs one-on-one, discovering their signature dishes and coveted culinary secrets from 3 to 5 PM before the event opens to the general public. Listen to live music as you indulge in all the delicious samples at your own relaxing pace. In addition, VIP guests will have access to a VIP room (Dickens Room off of Great Hall), where guests will have access to complimentary relaxation services and a private cash bar. Smith’s Country Cheese will be a vendor at the 13th Annual Competition this year! They’ve made a commitment to reduce their carbon footprint. Their grid-tied photovoltaic solar system offsets over 70% of their hot water and 30% of their electrical usage costs by using the energy of the sun. They make their own compost from cow manure, famously known as “Otter River Black Gold” to manage their farm waste in a green way (check out what it does for your lawn and garden!). They happily welcome visitors to shop their country gift shop, visit the cows, and watch them make cheese (oh yes, and sample it too!). Each day, their family is committed to providing the best care...