July 30, 2007
Chef George Stella To Represent Florida At The “2007 Great American Seafood Cook-off” In New Orleans
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles H. Bronson has designated Chef George Stella to represent the Sunshine State at the 2007 Great American Seafood Cook-off in New Orleans, August 4-5.
With 33 years in Florida, Chef Stella knows Florida seafood. Chef Stella will be featuring grouper with blue crab and tropical dragonfruit in his competition recipe, “Dragonfruit and Blue Crab Crowned Florida Grouper with Datil Pepper Rundown and Savory Jerk Glacé.”
Now in its fourth year, the Great American Seafood Cook Off is the nation's most prestigious seafood competition featuring two days of lively culinary competition starting Saturday, August 4. Chefs from 20 states will compete in a seafood extravaganza showcasing their state’s signature seafood in restaurant-style recipes. On Sunday, the top-scoring chefs will prepare consumer-friendly seafood recipes designed for easy at-home preparation. Sunday’s top-scoring chef will then be crowned “King/Queen of American Seafood 2007.”
Justin Timineri, executive chef with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, was last year’s “King of Seafood” and Florida is looking to bring the title home again this year.
Chef Stella is nationally known for his Food Network show “Low Carb and Loving It.” His “healthy eating” story has been chronicled in national magazines and newspapers and featured on FOX, CBS and CNN broadcasts. His two best-selling cookbooks, “Living Low Carb” and “Eating Stella Style,” promote choosing fresh fruits, vegetables and a variety of seafood for a long-term healthy lifestyle. These choices and low-carbohydrate recipes helped Stella overcome his own serious health issues. He also has appeared regularly on ABC’s “The View” promoting healthy eating and on the FOX channel’s nationally broadcast “Morning Show with Mike and Juliet” featuring his “Healthy Kids” message targeting childhood obesity.
In the early 1980s, Stella worked as an executive chef for the Philips Petroleum Company’s stellar restaurant, Windows on the Green, in the Pier 66 Hotel in Fort Lauderdale. George went on to work with Chef Mark Millitello, the owner of the famous MARK'S restaurants in South Florida. Together they brought the first “California Cuisine” menu to Florida when they opened Café Max in Pompano Beach with Dennis Max. Recruited to be a Disney chef at Disney World’s Grand Floridian Hotel, Stella showcased his culinary talents at the fine dining restaurants, Victoria & Albert’s and Citricos as well as catering Disney fairytale weddings. Recognition from his cooking appearances on local television in Orlando led to his own cooking show on the Food Network spreading his “healthy eating” message nationally.
For more on the event visit www.FL-Seafood.com and www.greatamericanseafoodcookoff.com.
For more information:
Barbera Turnbull
(850) 488-0163
turnbub@doacs.state.fl.us
