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Ceviche Throwdown
& Benefit for Gulf Coast Fishermen
 
                                                                                       photo by brendita21
 
Monday, July 19, 2010, 5:00 - 9:30 PM
Soma Sushi
4820 Washington Ave., Houston 77007
 
WINNERS:
1st: Alex Padilla, Ninfa's on Navigation
2nd: Isaac Alvarez, Ocean's
3rd: Manabu Horiuchi, Kata Robata
 
Press:
 

Event Schedule

  4:30 PM  Chefs arrive
  5:00 PM  Doors open 
                 Cocktails and passed appetizers
                 Silent Auction begins
  6:00 PM  Battle Gazpacho Potluck Judging by CTD chefs
                 Ceviche Throwdown Judging by Panel of Judges
                 Dinner service commences
  9:00 PM  Silent Auction ends
  9:15 PM  Winners announced   
 

Chef Line-up

   Isaac Alvarez - Executive Chef of Ocean's
   Justin Basye - Chef de Cuisine of Stella Sola
   David Grossman - Executive Chef of Branch Water Tavern  *Winner of Bourbon Throwdown*
   Jason Hauck - Executive Chef of Soma Sushi
   Jonathan Jones- Executive Chef of Beaver's 
   Manabu Horiuchi - Executive Chef of Kata Robata 
   Hugo Ortega - Executive Chef of Hugo's and Backstreet Cafe
   Randy Rucker - Executive Chef of Bootsie's Heritage Cafe and connate (coming soon)
   Seth Seigel-Gardner - Executive Chef of Just August Project (coming soon) and Guerilla Kitchen
   LJ Wiley - Executive Chef of Yelapa Playa Mexicana
   Alex Padilla - Executive of Ninfa's on Navigation

Event Information
 
The objective of this event is:
-- to have pure, tasty fun,
-- to engage the local foodie and restaurant/bar community and bring everyone together for a great purpose,
-- to earn well-deserved bragging rights
 
Be a part of the another exciting food event! 
Ten local star chefs will be competing against each other to win the title of Ceviche Throwdown (CTD) Champion.  Whose ceviche dish will reign supreme?  Houston Chowhounds will compete in an amateur chef Battle Gazpacho Potluck.   This competition will be judged by competing chefs in the CTD. 
 
Take something home from the silent auction.  Whether it's an autographed cookbook, a private wine event for 20 hosted in your home, or a gourmet experience of a lifetime, your contribution will help fishermen and their families left unfortunate by the oil spill in the Gulf.   Jim Gossen of Louisiana Foods is committed to helping us administer the funds raised to ensure we benefit those in the seafood industry that are out of luck and in the most need.  
 
Meet our Judges.  
1.  Teresa Byrne-Dodge - My Table Magazine publisher
2.  Michael Cordua - Executive chef of Americas, Churrascos, Amazon Grill
3.  Peter Garcia - Chef/owner of El Meson and wine guy
4.  Greg Morago - Houston Chronicle food editor 
5.  Brett Anderson - New Orlean's Times-Picayune restaurant critic
6.  Wild Card: Mai Pham
 
The wild card judge will be chosen by whoever submits the best response to the question, “Why should I be a Ceviche Throwdown judge?”  There is no word limit.  Please send your entry to imneverfull@gmail.com by 6/28. 
 
No one leaves hungry.  Chef Jason Hauck and all CTD chef competitors will be providing bites of their ceviche dishes for event patrons.  Chef Hauck will also be serving hot and cold hor d'oeuvres and a variety of Japanese fusion dishes for dinner.  See registration page for menu.  Our main event sponsor Australis has donated barramundi, a white, sustainable fish native of Australia that is high in omega-3's and is endorsed by chefs such as Thomas Keller and Rick Moonen.  This fish has just entered the Houston market and is already being served at Da Marco.  It is also available for purchase at Central Market and Whole Foods.  Chef Hauck will be preparing barramundi 3 ways for the event.
 
Silent auction.  The event will host a silent auction to generate donations to the Gulf Coast fishermen's relief fund.  We will be auctioning off tasting dinners, wine events, autographed cookbooks, and once-in-a-lifetime priceless experiences.  If you would like to make a donation to the auction, please email imneverfull@gmail.com.   
 

Tickets.  A limited number of tickets will be available via Paypal.  Each ticket includes a souvenir Ceviche Throwdown t-shirt.  Tickets are $60 each and are available via Eventbrite. 

 
 

Guidelines for Chef Contestants

 

Rules of engagement.  Contestants should prepare a dish containing at least one raw fish and one acid (i.e. citrus) for the competition.  Each chef will have 15 minutes to prepare their competition dish at the sushi bar.  If a contestant submits more than one dish into competition (i.e. a duo or trio of dishes), the judges will be instructed to compute an average score of all dishes presented by the contestant.  Only one chef/team per restaurant will be allowed in the competition.  Each chef may bring one sous chef to assist.  Each chef must submit a detailed recipe of their dish along with their registration.

 
Entries for judging.  Contestants are required to present and prepare seven individual plates.  Six plates will be presented to the judging panel and one plate will be set aside for the media table.  Contestants should bring their own dishware as presentation will be a factored into final scores. 
 
Food for patrons.  In addition, contestants are required to bring 300 "bites" of their competition dish for the patron buffet.  This food must be prepared off-site, individually portioned, and brought to the event ready to be served.  The food provided for the patrons should resemble the competition dish as closely as possible.
 
Kitchen priviledges.  All contestants will have access to Soma's kitchen, however all competition dishes will be prepared at the sushi bar for patron viewing.  All ingredients needed must be brought to the event.  Any chefs needing access to the stove, fryer, or equipment in the kitchen should specify in advance in their official registration. 
 
Compensation.  Each chef will be given a $100 stipend toward food expenses.  Chefs will receive this stipend in cash on the day of the event.  In addition, each chef will receive a $100 credit at Louisiana Foods towards the purchase of barramundi if used in the competition.  Each chef will receive a sample of sushi-grade barramundi to taste and experiment with.  Chefs do not have to use barramundi in their dishes, however the credit at Louisiana Foods is available to those chefs who do.  Each chef will also receive four comp tickets to the event: one for the competing chef, one for a sous chef, and two for colleagues, family, or friends.  Guests' full names must be included with registration.
 
Judging.  The judging panel will be made up of six judges. Judging will begin at 6pm and chefs will go in the same order in which registrations are received. Each chef will present their dish to the panel of judges.

 
Judging criteria:  "Ceviche" dishes will be judged on the following:
1.  Originality
2.  Plating
3.  Taste (double-weighted)

To register as a Ceviche contestant, please email the following information to Jenny Wang at imneverfull@gmail.com by Thu, July 8th. 
1.  Your Name:
2.  Restaurant Name & Title:
3.  Name of Sous Chef (if applicable):
4.  Name and description of your dish:
5.  List of cooking equipment you need access to onsite and for how long:
6.  Full Name of two guests:
7.  Please attached detailed recipe.  All recipes will be included in a recipe book and sold with all proceeds benefitting Recipe for Success.

  

Guidelines for Battle Gazpacho contestants:

 

Battle Gazpacho potluck contestants will be comprised of Houston Chowhound amateur chefs.  Contestants must prepare their items off-site and bring their entries ready to be judged.   Entries must be ready at the time of judging at 6pm. 

 

Rules of engagement.  Entries should be cold and vegetable-based.  Other than that, anything goes.  Contestants should also bring their own serving utensils.  Each chef must submit a detailed recipe of their dish along with their registration.
 
Expenses.  We are asking each contestant to purchase their own ticket to the event in the spirit of fundraising for our cause.  If each of our ten contestants purchase a ticket, this will generate an additional $600 donation to the relief fund.
 
Judging.  Judging will begin at 6pm.  The judging panel will be comprised of all CTD competing chefs. Each contestant may prepare an index card inscribed with the entry's name and description.  This is optional. 
 

Judging Criteria.  All entries will be scored by the panel of judges on the following criteria:

1.  Originality

2.  Texture

3.  Taste (double-weighted score)

 

To register as a Battle Gazpacho contestant, please email the following information to cheflambo@yahoo.com by Thu, July 8th.

1.  Name

2.  Name of Dish

3.  Description of the entry 
4.  Please attached detailed recipe.  All recipes will be included in a recipe book and sold with all proceeds benefitting Recipe for Success.

To all contestants:

 

A book of Contestants’ recipes will be compiled, printed, and sold at the event for $5 with 100% of the proceeds benefiting Recipe for Success.  Electronic cookbooks may be pre-purchased with event tickets.  Please make every effort to email your recipe to mollysesata@yahoo.com by Sun, July 18. 

 

Remember this competition is for fun, bragging rights and moreover to bring the food community together. Excellent food for excellent people.
 
Event Announcements:
 

Keep up with event announcements which will be posted to the bottom of this webpage. 

 
 
To keep up with event news and discussions, follow Jenny Wang aka @imneverfull on Twitter.
  
Special thanks to Soma Sushi
and to our event sponsors:
 
 
             
For more information about Soma Sushi:
 
For more information about Australis Barramundi:

 

For more information about the Houston Chowhounds or to become a member:
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The online silent auction is up!

posted Jul 12, 2010 1:59 AM by Jenny Wang   [ updated Jul 12, 2010 2:05 AM ]

Check out the amazing culinary experiences that have been generously donated by local and New Orleans restaurants and businesses.  The auction ends at noon on July 19th.  Select items will complete bidding at a live silent auction at the Ceviche Throwdown.  Please bring cash or your checkbook to the event.  And check back daily as we will be adding donations throughout the week.  Remember, 100% of the auction proceeds will go to provide relief to Gulf Coast fishermen.  Treat yourself for a good cause!
 

Southbound Food radio show

posted Jul 8, 2010 4:12 PM by Jenny Wang

Tune into Southbound Food food radio talk show this Saturday, July 10 at 11 a.m. on AM 1560.  Jim Gossen of Louisiana Foods joins the crew and talks about how NOLA restaurants, his business, and seafood industry folks are being affected by the oil spill disaster.  We also discuss how the funds from this event will be distributed to fishermen and others in the industry who are in need.  Stream it live from 1560thegame.com.
 

Welcome Chef Hugo & La Colombe d'Or sponsorship

posted Jul 8, 2010 4:08 PM by Jenny Wang

Welcome Chef Hugo Ortega to the throwdown who will be replacing Chef Taka from Sushi Raku.  Chef Taka had to return to Japan for a family emergency. 
Also, we're happy to announce La Colombe d'Or as an event sponsor. 

Our 5th Judge and New Sponsor

posted Jun 25, 2010 2:59 PM by Jenny Wang

Our 5th judge's spot goes to Brett Anderson, restaurant critic of NOLA's Times-Picayune.  We're so honored to have him join us and represent Louisiana!
Don't forget our wild card judge contest is ongoing.  Write in for the last judge's spot by June 28th.  Tell us why you should be a ceviche judge and what your ceviche qualifications are.  Email your entry to imneverfull@gmail.com.
 
Also, a shoutout to our newest event sponsor, Fleischer Wines.  Thanks to Fleischer, we'll be enjoying complimentary red and white at the throwdown.

Fundraising goal & silent auction to go online

posted Jun 23, 2010 12:02 AM by Jenny Wang   [ updated Jun 23, 2010 12:27 AM ]

In the first week following our announcement of the silent auction, we received over 40 incredible donations from local restaurants and businesses. Our hopes are up and so is our fundraising goal: $10,000. We know it's a tremendous challenge so we need your help! 
 
The silent auction will now start ONLINE one week before the event on July 12. Our highest value and priceless auction items will finish with a live silent auction at the throwdown. Please check back for a link to the online auction and please help us spread the word!
 
Tremendous thanks to the following for early donations:  Alison Cook, Anvil Bar & Refuge, Bailey's American Grille, Bandol Wines, Blinds.com, Brennan's of Houston, Chez Roux/La Torretta Lake Resort, Crave Cupcakes, Genevieve Guy, Grateful Bread, Greenway Coffee & Tea, Greg Morago, Haven, Hight Cigars, Houston Astros, Houston Wine Merchant, Joanne Witt, John Besh, Messina Hof Winery, Maureen Hall, Mockingbird Bistro, My Table Magazine, Nishta Mehra, Society for the Performing Arts (SPA), Strip House, The Tasting Room, and Vic & Anthony's.

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