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04/01/2022
The stage was set for culinary greatness at the inaugural Seacoast Culinary Challenge on Thursday, March 31 at the Music Hall in Portsmouth, in the first timed, “mystery basket style” cooking event to benefit the Wentworth-Douglass Foundation Annual Fund.
The Seacoast Culinary Challenge was hosted by Mary Ann Esposito, creator, and host of Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito on PBS – America’s longest running televised cooking show, and Evan Hennessey, owner, and chef at STAGES at One Washington in Dover, N.H., and three-time Chopped Champion on the Food Network’s nationally acclaimed show.
Local chef, David Vargas, owner, and executive chef of Vida Cantina in Portsmouth, N.H. was voted the winner by a panel of local and celebrity judges. Chef Vargas also won “Fan Favorite” based on audience vote. Competing chefs had to create a dish using ingredients presented to them in a sealed, mystery bag. Ingredients included a whole chicken, a yam, blueberries, and aloe vera leaf. Chef Vargas created winning dish: “Mystery Basket Mole” including braised chicken, veggies, aloe vera leaf, plantain and chocolate topped with pickled blueberry and avocado salsa. Other competing chefs included David Crinieri, culinary director of Tuscan Brands in Salem, N.H.; Jay Curcio, owner and executive chef of The White Apron Catering Company in Dover, N,H.; and Julie Cutting, owner and executive chef of CURE in Portsmouth, N.H.
Medical Director of the Wentworth-Douglass Hospital Center for Weight Management & Bariatric Surgery, Dr. Dmytro Havaleshko, showcased fully robotic surgery and the precision in which it is performed, by peeling a plum and then suturing the skin with an Intuitive Surgical da Vinci robot.
The event raised $163,325 for the Wentworth-Douglass Foundation Annual Fund, which supports programs and projects across the hospital that enhance patient care and overall wellness. The audience helped raise $61,600 through a live auction and Fund-A-Need, which sought to raise critical funds toward the purchase of a Driving Simulation System for rehabilitation patients in need of a driving assessment. This state-of-the-art technology assists Wentworth-Douglass’ Rehabilitation Team and Occupational Therapists in helping to assess a person’s driving skills following several conditions that may impede a person’s ability to safely drive a vehicle.
“Thank you to everyone who participated in the first Seacoast Culinary Challenge. I am especially grateful to our sponsors and to everyone who attended tonight and participated in the live auction and Fund-A-Need. Your support makes an incredible difference in the lives of our patients and their ability to live independently,” said Jackie Eastwood, chair of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. “And congratulations to Chef Vargas for his extraordinary dish. What an enormous talent!”
Sponsors of the Seacoast Culinary Challenge include: Media Sponsor – Townsquare Media; Meet the Chefs VIP Experience Sponsor – Newburyport Bank; Stage Sponsor – Novocure; Wine Sponsors – Tuscan Brands and Horizon Beverage; Auction Sponsor – Nessit; Give-Away Bag Sponsors – iHeartMedia, Blue Dolphin Screen Printing and First Seacoast Bank.