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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 9, 2002

SC Chefs invited to enter culinary competition

PAWLEYS ISLAND---South Carolina chefs are invited to apply to enter the Taste of the Tidelands culinary competition to be held on January 24, 2003 at Pawleys Plantation Conference Center in Pawleys Island, SC. Deadline for applications is November 1, 2002.

Presented by the Pawleys Island-Litchfield Business Association and Restaurant Solutions, the Taste of the Tidelands is coordinated and hosted by Peter Ryan consultant and director of the event. Established to encourage creativity in the culinary arts, the event was also designed to promote tourism through the restaurant industry and generate funds for culinary arts scholarships and for charities. Proceeds from the 2001 event were donated to the Ernst Royal Scholarship for Carolinians, which was established to enable South Carolina chefs to attend the Culinary Arts Institute and to the Uniformed Firefighters Association Widow’s and Children’s Fund of New York along with several local charities.

In addition to many awards presented at the Taste of the Tidelands, chefs are offered an opportunity to compete for the "Serving South Carolina Quality Chef of the Year" award, presented by the SC Department of Agriculture. Chefs who meet the criteria for participating in the Taste of the Tidelands competition are invited to prepare and serve a dish using South Carolina grown or processed products. Each entry is judged by a distinguished panel on taste, presentation, and creativity.

This past year’s winner of the Serving SC Quality Chef of the Year award was Chef Michael Wallace with the Hilton Oceanfront Resort for his Carolina Crab cakes presented with fried green tomatoes and served with Creole mustard aioli.

South Carolina products stand on their own, but as Ferdinand Metz, former President of the Culinary Institute of America, would say, "Preparation is everything." Even though there can only be one "Serving South Carolina Quality Chef of the Year" recipient at the Taste of the Tidelands, all of the competing chefs are winners for serving South Carolina products on their menus.

An Epicurean buffet for food lovers who delight in sampling the entries is open to the public following the competition. Tickets may be purchased by calling 843-237-4774.

Deadline for chefs to apply to enter the Taste of the Tidelands competition which includes the "Serving South Carolina Quality Chef of the Year" award is November 1, 2002. A lunch orientation is scheduled for all interested Chefs at Noon on Tuesday, October 1, 2002 at Pawleys Plantation. For more information, contact Kim Fox at The Litchfield Company, 843-237-4000 or toll free 800-476-2861.

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