2017 November PASO Magazine

The Wellness Kitchen’s 2017 TOP CHEF
CONGRATULATIONS FOUR TIME WINNER – ALEX MARTIN
The competition was tough
inside Idler’s Home on Sept.
23 for the sixth annual Wellness
Kitchen Top Chef event.
Three batches of secret ingredients
were presented to three
chefs who prepared an appetizer,
main dish and dessert for
a panel of three judges! With a
bountiful pantry and a gigantic,
digital timer nearby, the pressure
was on.
The results were close. Threetime
winner Alex Martin —
owner of Crush Catering —
edged out two-time winner
Adam White and newcomer
Clare Cranford. Emcee Chef
Phillip Riccomini offered an
enjoyable angle to the competition
as mentor, educator and
retired Director of the Culinary
Arts Academy. “I loved how
Chef Phillip engaged with the
audience and chefs to keep it so
exciting,” said Wellness Kitchen
Executive Director Nancy
Walker, who also spoke of the
mission and future goals of The
Wellness Kitchen in Templeton.
Wellness Kitchen volunteers
greeted a sold-out crowd who
enjoyed local wine, tapas by The
Fig Café at Courtney’s House,
and music by Wine Country
Troubadours in a tent near
the entrance leading to Idler’s
demonstration kitchen.
The panel of judges included
Kevin Kuhn – Senior Vice Pres-
ident of the Aerospace Group
for MW Industries; Mike Lane
– Chief Operating Officer of
Twin Cities Community Hospital;
and Lori Foster – Owner
of Spice of Life in downtown
Paso Robles.
Here’s what the judges had
to say about our Top Chefs.
Kuhn enjoyed the chef ’s “calm
demeanor” and “humbleness in
speaking about their amazing
creations.” He added, “I love
the creativity; from flash-frying
the sage leaf, creating fish stock
from the fish remains, to creating
an ice cream as a topping.
The chefs were digging deep to
impress the audience. The energy
of the event was contagious
for even the shy attendees. By
the end of the night, everyone
felt like they attended a high energy
concert with ‘5 star’ restaurant
foods.”
Lane commented, “Every bite
was fantastic! Some bites were
just … a bit more fantastic. I
needed to slow down and savor
the taste. Eating in moderation
is extremely difficult when you
love every bite! The chef ’s creative
presentation, use of all ingredients,
and appearance was
no-doubt extraordinary by anyone’s
standard; each of the three
dishes in a different way. They
were all excellent,” added Lane
of his tofu dish; an ingredient he
is not usually fond of.
“My eyes feasted on the bowl,”
said Lori Foster of Chef Adam’s
main dish. “The flavors blended
perfectly and warmed my soul.
Chef Clare’s dessert was colorful
and beautiful. The variety of
ingredients and flavors complimented
each other perfectly and
I enjoyed every bite! All dishes
prepared were divine and shows
that eating healthy can be an
exciting adventure. Pulling rich,
colorful and clean ingredients
and using creativity to prepare
each meal makes every day a
celebration.”
The sixth annual Top Chef
Competition was a huge success
thanks to the host, Idler’s
Home, sponsors Coastal Radiation
Oncology Medical Group,
Twin Cities Community Hospital,
Rancho Azul y Oro, Pacific
Premier Bank and many
in-kind donors and wineries.
Chef Alex Martin
The next goal of The Wellness
Kitchen is to open additional
facilities and expand the meal,
broth and education programs
to those suffering from cancer
and other life-altering illness.
Everyone has a story about cancer
or serious illness that has
touched family, friends and our
community. For information on
the Wellness Foods & the “Pay
It Forward” Healing Foods meal
programs, classes and other resources,
go to thewkrc.org. Donations
are greatly appreciated.
Judges included Kevin Kuhn, Senior VP for MW Industries,
Mike Lane, COO at Twin Cities Community Hospital,
and Lori Foster, owner of Spice of Life.
November 2017, PASO Magazine 37