The Chef's Academy Announces Contestants For The Second Annual Triangle Chef Showdown

RALEIGH, NC, September 08, 2012 (Press-News.org) The Chef's Academy (http://www.thechefsacademy.com), the Culinary Division of Harrison College, a 110-year-old, nationally accredited institution that offers 40 degree programs in five schools of study, has announced the competing chefs for the second annual Triangle Chef Showdown on Thursday, Sept. 27 from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on its Morrisville, N.C. campus, located at 2001 Carrington Mill Blvd. Four incredibly talented and well-known chefs will participate in a fierce cooking competition as they battle for votes from attendees. The 2012 contestants include Chef Keith Rhodes, Chef Scott Schabot, Chef Ryan Payne and Chef John Mannino. Each contestant is responsible for incorporating the color orange into their dish in support of September's Hunger Action Month, a campaign of the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina to help support the nearly 500,000 individuals who are suffering from hunger in its 34-county service area.

Chef Keith Rhodes is the executive chef and owner of Catch, a restaurant located in Wilmington, N.C. Rhodes prides himself on his upscale low country cuisine mixed with worldly influences and unique plating presentations. A James Beard Foundation semifinalist for Best Chef Southeast and a Season 9 contestant on Bravo TV's Top Chef Texas, Rhodes' cooking is a mixture of classical French, Southern and Asian styles. He recently opened Phun Seafood Bar, serving South East Asian street food, in historic downtown Wilmington. Food from both Catch and Phun are locally sourced and prepared to order.

Chef Scott Schabot is the executive chef of Ruckus Pizza, Pasta and Spirits. He began his culinary career running a one oven kitchen at the Hibernian, an Irish restaurant in downtown Raleigh. Schabot was then offered the opportunity to apprentice under the direction of Chef Dan Taylor, who had been classically trained at the Culinary Institute of London. With Taylor's guidance, Schabot learned proper cooking techniques, butchering skills and the art of combining creativity and innovation with taste and quality. In 2009, the pair won the Hillsborough Iron Chef Competition. Throughout his career, Schabot has learned a number of different cooking styles - mastering Italian cuisine with Chef Tony Fusco at Gravy and later mastering North Carolina barbeque at the famous local restaurant, The Pit. At Ruckus Pizza, Pasta and Spirits, Schabot's focus is local - local ingredients, local customers and local brewers. He is currently developing programs to teach kids how to cook and the importance of maintaining a healthy diet.

Chef Ryan Payne is the executive chef at The Weathervane at Southern Season in Chapel Hill, N.C. Specializing in local, southern, and fresh food inspired from dishes from around the world, Southern Season is the largest gourmet food retailer on the East coast. Payne is the 2012 winner of the Fire in the Triangle dining competition, which concluded in July. The Fire in the Triangle series featured 16 chefs from the Triangle and Southern Pines in a 15-dinner series cook-off. Payne's passion for cooking began at a young age when he would watch his grandfather in the kitchen. He recalls many days spent cooking with his grandfather rather than playing outside like most kids his age.

Chef John Mannino is the executive chef and co-owner of Mannino's in Virginia Beach, Va. He is gearing up to open the third installment of Mannino's Italian Bistro in the Virginia Beach area this fall. Mannino's passion for cooking came from his Sicilian-born father, John Mannino, Sr. Together, the father and son duo opened Mannino's to give patrons a unique Italian experience with great food, reasonable prices, traditional Italian cuisine, wine and "olde world" Italian classics. Graduating with honors from the Culinary Institute of America in New York City, Mannino was the winner of the 23rd Annual Taste of Hampton Roads fundraiser gala to benefit the Food Bank of Southeastern Virginia.

In addition to the cooking competition, the event will feature a silent auction, live music from a local favorite, The Chris Hendricks Band, an open bar, an incredible spread of student-made appetizers, pastries and desserts. Additionally, students from The Chef's Academy will prepare portions of each dish made by the competing chefs for attendees to sample and vote on their favorites. Mims Distributing Company, Inc., a beer distributor located in Raleigh, will provide beer tastings at the event. The Triangle Chef Showdown will raise money and awareness of local hunger and all proceeds will be donated to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.

QUOTES:
"We are extremely excited to have such talented chefs join the competition this year for our annual Triangle Chef Showdown," said Jayson M. Boyers, national division president of The Chef's Academy. "It is an honor and an incredible learning opportunity for our students to be able to work alongside such gifted chefs. We could not be more pleased with this year's contestants and we look forward to watching them battle it out in the kitchen."

NEW MEDIA CONTENT:
The Chef's Academy Twitter:
https://twitter.com/NCChefsAcademy

The Chef's Academy Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/TheChefsAcademy.NC

The Chef's Academy Blog:
http://thechefsacademy.blogspot.com/

The Chef's Academy YouTube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/thechefsacademy

ABOUT THE CHEF'S ACADEMY:
The Chef's Academy is the Culinary Division of Harrison College, a 110-year-old, nationally accredited institution that offers 40 degree programs in five schools of study. Approximately 4,500 students altogether are enrolled at Harrison College's 12 campuses, its online division and The Chef's Academy. Headquartered in Indianapolis, The Chef's Academy opened a second academy on a 4.37-acre campus in North Carolina's Triangle in August 2011. At The Chef's Academy, students become prepared and marketable graduates entering the fields of culinary arts, pastry arts, and hospitality and restaurant management through classroom and experiential instruction that sets up expectations for the real-life industry. The college's culinary division provides an environment that fosters students' passion for culinary arts and hospitality and a curriculum developed by the most qualified instructors and leaders in the market. The Chef's Academy is endorsed and accredited by the American Culinary Federation (ACF). For more information about The Chef's Academy, visit http://www.thechefsacademy.com.

Anjelica Cummings
MMI Public Relations
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