Cooking on the Coast: Food, Fun and Flair of the Region’s Top Chefs Slots Gambling

Cooking on the Coast: Food, Fun and Flair of the Region’s Top Chefs

July 6, 2011

It is a well-known fact that casinos are home to some of the finest restaurants in the world. Whether you are in Las Vegas or your favorite Southern casino, you are sure to find excellence in culinary showmanship in everything from fine dining to wine selection. The magic that happens in the kitchen to prepare the dishes that end up on your table often goes unnoticed by most but appreciated by all. Not anymore!

On Saturday, Sept. 24, the white beaches of Biloxi, Miss., will welcome culinary connoisseurs from across the country in Southern Gaming Magazine’s Casino Cook-off presented by Four Roses Bourbon. The event will showcase the talents of top casino chefs and will take place as the marquee event of the 29th Annual Chefs of the Coast Culinary Weekend, the premier culinary event of the Gulf Coast.

The evening will showcase four top casino chefs who will compete in a live chef showdown. There will also be food stations that will represent each chef’s competition entry, a Four Roses Bourbon lounge featuring tasting samples, a wine tasting area with some of the leading wine labels from around the country, and live music by Sista Jazz with Rochelle Harper, one of the coast’s most popular jazz bands rounding out the evening.

“The entire weekend is basically a celebration of food, and the Casino Cook-off on Saturday night will be great party, too,” says G. Douglas Dreisbach, event producer and general manager of Southern Gaming Magazine. “When you combine a culinary event that has a 29-year history with the largest casino culinary competition in the history of the South, you know you are cooking up something good! We are honored to be a part of it all.”

While the Chefs of the Coast has been around a long time, there has never been an official competition showcasing casino chefs. With many of the world’s leading chefs going to casino restaurants for more exposure, better pay and resume builders, the industry has seen a steady increase in fine dining over the years. As the largest gambling magazine dedicated to the Southern casinos, Southern Gaming took this opportunity to build a program that would recognize some of the amazing talents behind the scenes. So they teamed up with Chefs of the Coast and integrated the two concepts to enhance both events in what is sure to become one of the biggest food celebrations in the region. The event expects to draw attendees from throughout the region as well as from the local community.

“We are excited to have the Southern Gaming Casino Cook-off as part of our Chefs of the Coast culinary weekend. It’s a perfect fit for what the weekend is all about and expands the exposure of our local restaurants throughout the South — showcasing talents and giving foodies a culinary extravaganza,” says Calvin Coleman with the Mississippi Hospitality and Restaurant Association. “We look forward to seeing new faces from around the region this year.”

In efforts of expanding the reach of the event beyond the readers of Southern Gaming, partnerships were developed with several sponsors including Four Roses Bourbon, one of the best small-batch bourbons in the world, Viking Appliances, and Great Kitchens of Gulfport, one of the leading kitchen appliance and accessory stores in the region with locations in Gulfport, Mobile and Fairhope. In addition, AllRecipes.com and ManTestedRecipes.com stepped up with a major marketing partnership that expanded the footprint beyond the realms of gamblers and into the world of food fans across the nation. Both sites hosted the recipe entries and promoted the preliminary online recipe contests among the casino chefs, marketed the cook-off event and are also running separate sweepstakes featuring tickets to the Casino Cook-off, as well as some VIP Culinary Weekends that include tickets to all of the Chefs of the Coast event.

“We couldn’t do this without our sponsors. Four Roses Bourbon is amazing, Viking is a world leader in kitchen appliances, Great Kitchens is one of the largest kitchen appliance and accessory stores in the South, and Allrecipes and ManTestedRecipes are the largest recipe websites in the world. It made total sense for us to partner with each of them in our efforts to maximize exposure among food connoisseurs,” Dreisbach says. “Through these partnerships, we were able to build an event that really gives food and wine connoisseurs, and gamblers, yet another reason to visit the Gulf Coast.”

The weekend will kick off with a party in the re-invigorated downtown district of Gulfport on Friday, Sept. 23, with the Chefs of the Coast “Dash & Dine.” This event will feature live music, food, craft beer and flair contests. Hundreds of runners will storm downtown Gulfport in chef hats and celebrity chef costumes in a fun 3K run. This isn’t your typical race … this is pure fun and a great way to start the weekend.

On Saturday, Sept. 24, the Chefs of the Coast “Stockpot Cook-off” will take place at the Gulf Coast Convention Center overlooking the Biloxi beach. This event is always an afternoon fan favorite with cooking and ice-carving demonstrations, lots of children’s activities centered around cooking and baking, and, of course, sampling the chefs’ best stockpot recipes featuring fresh Gulf Coast shrimp. This year, you won’t want to miss the special amateur vs. professional throw-down as things heat up for the Best Overall Gulf Shrimp Recipe.

Also on Saturday, when the sun goes down, the cooking heats up! Don’t miss Southern Gaming Magazine’s Casino Cook-off presented by Four Roses Bourbon where the top four casino chefs from this year’s online recipe contest will compete in front of a live audience on signature Viking competition platforms provided by Great Kitchens of Gulfport. Critiqued by a panel of culinary experts, each chef will have to prepare their masterpiece using Four Roses Bourbon, a pre-selected list of pantry items, and a “secret ingredient,” making for a surprise for spectators and competitors. The chef who receives the highest score will be crowned champion and receive cash, prizes and the honors of Top Casino Chef of the South! The Casino Cook-off is much more than a chef competition, however. With your entry to the event, you will also enjoy complimentary cocktails, food stations, bourbon and wine tastings, live music and more. Remember, this weekend is a party celebrating the culinary prominence of the South … don’t miss this amazing event! The night will also be rounded out with a VIP After Party at one of the casinos following the event … more details to come!

The weekend will wrap up on Sunday, Sept. 25, with the 29th Annual Chefs of the Coast Venetian Gala. This is another event you won’t want to miss! More than 50 of the coast’s hottest local restaurants will provide tasting portions of their signature dishes while wineries offer samples of their perfect pairings combined with live entertainment, dancing, incredible raffle items, a “Chefs Parade” and more. Chefs of the Coast is a fabulous evening celebrating the incredible cuisine that makes up the fabric of the Mississippi Gulf Coast as a culinary tourism destination.

So, if you like food, wine, casinos, beaches and great parties, this is a one-stop shop for you! Tickets can be purchased to each event individually or as a package.

Southern Gaming Magazine’s Casino Cook-off presented by Four Roses Bourbon Time: 6 p.m.-10:30 p.m. Location: Gulf Coast Convention Center Website: Cost: $75 per person ($140 for two)

Southern Gaming Magazine’s Casino Cook-off Official After Party presented by Four Roses Bourbon Time: (Party will begin after casino cook-off event is over) Location: TBD Cost: Complimentary with a Casino Cook-off wristband.

Slots Gambling