2007 CALIFORNIA DATE CHEF COMPETITION SET
FOR APRIL 29
AT FANTASY SPRINGS CASINO
Chefs from across the Valley, State
and Country Vie for Top Prizes
INDIO, CA. – (December 5, 2006) The
2007 California Date Chef Competition will
be held Sunday, April 29 at Fantasy Springs
Resort Casino’s Special Events Center. The
seventh annual competition is open to
professional chefs currently employed by or
owners of a restaurant, catering service, or
hotel.
Fifteen finalists will compete
for top prizes in the Appetizer, Entrée and
Dessert categories, as well as Best of Show
and People’s Choice. Winners take away more
than $5,000 in award money, trophies and the
opportunity for their restaurant to show off
the award winning recipe for a month at
their establishment.
The professional blind judging
takes place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. A
panel of nine chefs, food writers and
experts will taste and evaluate the
finalists’ entries, judging for best use of
dates, originality, flavor, texture and
overall presentation for 100 possible
points. Chef Spokesman is Perry Mascitti,
executive chef at Fantasy Springs Resort
Casino.
The event is open to the public
from 2 – 5 p.m. during the Gala Awards
Reception. Guests are invited to sample all
the entries, visit with the chefs, talk with
Date industry leaders, and vote for their
favorite to win the People’s Choice Award.
Tickets to the event are $35 per person and
benefit the California Women for
Agriculture’s Culinary Scholarships.
The event is sponsored by the
California Date Administrative Committee and
Fantasy Springs Resort Casino. Sponsorship
opportunities are available to support the
benefit event. The competition celebrates
the partnership between the Coachella
Valley’s tourism and agriculture industries.
Professional chefs currently
employed by or owners of any hotel, catering
service or restaurant may enter the
competition. Register on line at
www.DatesAreGreat.com.
For tickets and event
sponsorship information, please call the
CDAC office at (760) 347-4510 or toll free
800-223-8748.
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