Cooking competition shows are all the rage on TV. You can’t turn on the television without landing on a food-related spectacle that pits chef against chef. And if you need that culinary adrenaline closer than your screen, catch it live and local at Food Fight, Maribelle’s eat+drink chef Mike Florea’s creation.
Based on the popular cooking show Chopped, the rules are simple: Chefs, colleagues, foodies and anyone else who loves good food and good competition may come to the fight. Pony up $10 to enter the building (Maribelle’s in Oakley); this gets you in as a spectator. If you would like the opportunity to compete and/or judge, the entry fee goes up to $15.
Your name will then be placed into a pot (literally) and 14 names will be drawn. The first three names picked will compete, the next three will judge. There will be two rounds featuring a total of six chefs — three chefs duke it out each round. The winner of each round will then compete for the championship. Two people will enter the final round; only one will win. The prizes are bragging rights, a knife trophy of sorts from knife sharpener and chef Chris Weist of Cincy Sharp and some cold, hard cash.
Each competing cook receives a basket of five random ingredients and has 30 minutes to make an entrée utilizing all of them. There is a small selection of pantry and walk-in items to choose from to boost the ingredients from the basket.
Food Fight takes place at Maribelle’s eat+drink, 3235 Madison Road, Oakley, 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 13. More at maribellestavern.com.
This article appears in Jan 8-14, 2014.
