RISING STAR MYSTERY BOX CHALLENGE DRAWS LARGE CROWDS DURING THE SECOND DAY OF THE WESTERN FOODSERVICE & HOSPITALITY EXPO
LOS ANGELES, CA, August 20, 2013 - Hundreds of attendees watched as four rising star chefs competed in the Rising Star Mystery Box Challenge at the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo taking place this week at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Jean Carlos Kuramota, Executive Chef of Michaels in Santa Monica won the competition with his seared Kobe flatiron with rosemary infused prawns. Chef Kuramota competed against Nyesha Arrington from Top Chef Season 9; Tin Vuong, Executive Chef/ Partner at Abigaile, Wildcraft and Little Sister and Jesse Barber, Executive Chef at Barnyard.
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| TASTEFUL - Russ Parsons, Food Editor, left, LA Times; Jennifer Sommer, LA Correspondent, Food and Wine Magazine; and Brian Malarkey, Chef and Restaurateur judged the Mystery Box Challenge dishes. |
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| HEATING UP - Brad Metzger of Restaurant Solutions moderated the Mystery Box Challenge event as Nyesha Arrington, Top Chef Season 9, and Tin Vuong, Executive Chef/Partner, Abigaile, Wildcraft, Little Sister compete in the first round of the challenge. |
The Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo will be open on Tuesday, August 20th from 11 am - 4 pm in the West Building of the Los Angeles Convention Center. The event offers new products and services from 500 exhibiting companies; the Food Trends Experience with 75 companies offering tastings of new foods and beverages; Sysco Shape Healthy Choices for Your Kids Menu cooking demonstrations, the Ultimate Barista Challenge and much more. The event is co-located with Expo Comida Latina, the largest Hispanic food and beverage trade event in North America. The Expo and Conference is produced and managed by Reed Exhibitions, and sponsored by the California Restaurant Association. For more information, call toll free 800-840-5612 or visit http://www.westernfoodexpo.com
