Barilla Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the Barilla “Represent Your Region” Contest. From over 380 entries, through three rounds of judging, Chef’s Roll is pleased to present the 10 winners. Each finalist will receive a gorgeous leather knife roll from JENDE Industries, courtesy of Barilla USA. The Champion, Chef John Baez of Tommy Bahama’s Restaurant in Newport Beach, CA also wins a coveted spot on Barilla’s annual Modern Casual retreat. Modern Casual is invite-only and designed for chefs to dive into the most current trends in casual dining, with Barilla as the anchor point for content. For 2016 it will take place at the amazing Farmer Lee Jones’ Culinary Vegetable Institute in Cleveland, OH. The retreat will feature educational sessions, hands-on cooking, a guest trend lecturer and the amazing facility at the CVI, plus a one-day culinary immersion of Cleveland and its most sought after chefs. Thank you to all that participated and look out for our next competition! Special thank you to our final judging panel who represented many concept types, both Italian and non-Italian backgrounds, from across the USA: Chef Yury Krasilovsky (Chef Specialist/Product Development, Barilla), Chef Bruno Wehren (Barilla Consulting Chef), Chef Michael Slavin (Houlihans), Chef Thomas Horner (Marriott), Chef Matt Harding (Piada), Chef Stefano Cordova (Starbucks).

The Barilla Represent Your Region Champion

John Baez from Newport Beach, California
“I wanted to create a dish that reflected the fresh seafood options and availability we have on the Pacific Coast, but also wanted to do something different that went along with an out-of-the-box mentality. I paired classic flavors and textures with a spin on the orzo, giving it a dual personality of sorts.”