2010 Top Chef Fund-Raiser

Pier W slices through the competition at Top Chef 2010 Event!

St. John Medical Center's Top Chef 2010 fund-raiser was a huge success for all who attended. The sold out crowd enjoyed a beautiful evening of great food and fellowship as Chef Regan Reik from Pier W was crowned Top Chef 2010 and Chef Jonathan Bennett from Moxie took home the People's Choice Award.

More than a 1,000 gathered on SJMC grounds to taste some of the finest food Cleveland has to offer from Amp 150; Pier W; Moxie and Greenhouse Tavern. Food Network's Ted Allen hosted the event and served as a judge too along with Al "Bubba" Baker and last year's "Top Chef" winner Brandt Evans from Blue Canyon Kitchen & Tavern in Twinsburg, Ohio.

"The event was simply incredible and surpassed last year's outstanding achievement," says Cliff J. Coker, SJMC President. "None of this would have been possible without the generosity of our sponsors. I would like to thank all those who attended as well as those who donated to the event in order to assist our Community Outreach Programs."

2010 Judges

	Ted Allen Guest Host and Judge Emmy Award winner Ted Allen is host of Food Detectives, a primetime series on Food Network. Ted has been a judge on every season of Bravos Top Chef and Food Networks Iron Chef America. He is host of the PBS series Uncorked: Wine Made Simple and the Food Networks smash-hit Chopped. He also authored a cookbook, The Food You Want to Eat: 100 Smart, Simple Recipes. \| Photo by: Jason Friedman
	Al "Bubba" Baker Guest Judge One of Cleveland's all-time favorite sports figures, Al "Bubba" Baker is Executive Chef of Bubba's Q World Famous Bar-B-Q Restaurant and Catering in Avon, which he owns and operates with his family. Bubba's Q has received "Best Barbecue" and "Best Restaurant" awards from Cleveland Magazine, as well as the "Silver Spoon Award" for four consecutive years.
	Brandt Evans Guest Judge Winner of the 2009 Top Chefs competition, Chef Brandt Evans of Blue Canyon Kitchen & Tavern returns this year as a judge. Evans believes in food thats fresh, fun and bursting with flavor. Nationally recognized as a creative and innovative Chef, Brandt is well published in magazines, newspapers and trade journals, and has appeared on the TV Food Network.

2010 Chefs

	Jonathan Bennett Executive Chef, Moxie Restaurant Jonathan Bennett, Executive Chef and Partner of award-winning Moxie, the Restaurant and Red, the Steakhouse, both in Beachwood, has created his personal, unique culinary style integrating the flavors of his past to formulate a mélange of flavors he defines as American Bistro cuisine. A graduate of Culinary Institute of America and native of North Carolina, Bennett has served as Sous Chef in the prestigious kitchens of The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia; Plaza 600 in Cincinnati, and Classics in Cleveland.
	Ellis Cooley Executive Chef, AMP 150 With his simple, straightforward and ingredient-driven culinary style, Ellis Cooley combines a passion for cooking and over 10 years spent working in some of the world’s top restaurants in South Florida, Spain, France, Austria and New York City.He was recruited to Cleveland to create AMP 150, which offers local, seasonal, and high quality ingredients to a menu that is rotated throughout the year. He jumped at the opportunity to create a farm-to-table restaurant here. “What better place than Cleveland to work along side so many up and coming chefs and practically be surrounded by farms,” he says.
	Regan Reik Executive Chef, Pier W Chef Reik is a veteran of world-class dining. He works daily to present Pier W customers with contemporary and creative American dishes derived from sustainable and often local sources. As an intern at New York’s esteemed Alain Ducasse at the Essex House, Reik gained an affinity for using the best quality ingredients to create impeccable courses. This experience became the cornerstone of his approach to cooking. Previous to Pier W, Reik was executive sous chef of The Ritz-Carlton in Dearborn, Michigan, and spent time at other Ritz-Carlton locations, including the Century Restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton in Cleveland.
	Jonathon Sawyer Chef, Greenhouse Tavern Sawyer, Chef and Owner of the Greenhouse Tavern in downtown Cleveland, operates the first certified green restaurant in Ohio. His restaurant offers French-inspired dishes using local and sustainable ingredients with the belief that the proximity of farm and soil directly correlate to its quality. The Greenhouse Tavern was recently named one of the Top Ten Best New Restaurants by Bon Appétit Magazine. A graduate of the Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts, Sawyer has worked at Miami’s Biltmore Hotel, New York City’s Prea, Michael Symon’s Lolita, and at Ohio City’s Bar Centro. He has appeared on The Food Network’s Dinner Impossible and Iron Chef America.