Finale features a feast for the senses

The packed lobby and ballroom at the Westin Chicago Northwest in Itasca buzzed with anticipation from the moment the doors opened until the 8th annual Cook of the Week winner was announced.

Hundreds of Cook of the Week fans, friends and family of contestants gathered with local business owners to taste and sample sweet and savory treats, enjoy cooking demonstrations and watch the four finalists race to create unique dishes for a panel of well-known local chefs turned judges for the night.

In the end, Darla Pitts' holiday steak and eggs Benedict with a hollandaise sauce and escarole hash reigned supreme. Pitts, an Arlington Heights firefighter and paramedic from Chicago, made it to the finale event during last year's Cook of the Week Challenge, but 2018 was the year she walked away with top honors and the coveted Cook of the Week trophy, a large wooden spoon.

Before the competition got underway, the audience enjoyed dinner options provided by Grecian Delight and the Westin Chicago Northwest. Guests filled their plates with gyros, falafel, halal chicken shawarma, lemon grass chicken kebabs, Greek cheese puffs, mac 'n cheese bites and beef empanadas. A pasta station gave guests the opportunity to build their own pasta combinations of tortellini or penne pasta and Alfredo or marinara sauce.

Attendees quickly cleared out the dinner offerings before heading into the ballroom to snack at sponsor booths and take in the final cooking challenge.

Throughout the night, Pitts and the three other finalists - Roberta Fahey of Arlington Heights, Oscar Chapa of Volo and Mark Clemens of Elgin - busily concocted new recipes to present to judges Jimmy Nicolau, director of Midwest sales at Grecian Delight; Dave Gonnella, vice president of sales at Gonnella Baking Co.; Elizabeth Schuttler, 2017 Cook of the Week Challenge winner; Katsuji Tanabe, executive chef and owner of Barrio restaurant in Chicago; Suzy Singh, R & D corporate chef at NOW Foods; Ahmed Azizy, executive chef at Westin Chicago Northwest; and chefs Seth Bradley and Ryan Van Voorhis of Nude Dude Food, a dining and catering service.

Contestants started with the same four secret ingredients - flank steak and escarole (from Jewel Osco), garlic sauce (from Grecian Delight), virgin olive oil (from Goya Foods) and Italian bread (from Gonnella Baking Co.). They could earn extra points by using other sponsor-supplied ingredients from the pantry.

Contestants prepared their final dish on a Thermador Induction Cooktop, provided by longtime challenge sponsor Novak & Parker Home Appliance in Mount Prospect. Dan Novak said the Thermador Induction Cooktop is perfect for a competition like the Cook of the Week finale because the cooktop is ideal for high speed cooking, a necessity when preparing a tasty and well-presented meal with limited time.

While contestants prepared their dishes, attendees were treated to three cooking demonstrations from local top chefs.

First up was Azizy of Westin Chicago Northwest, who showed guests creative ways to prepare turkey and stuffing. The audience watched as he cooked a turkey breast stuffed with apple, pear and cranberry stuffing, all wrapped in bacon.

Chef Singh of NOW Foods prepared Sugarless Sugar Caramel corn using NOW Real foods Organic Popcorn, Ellyndale Organic Canola oil, Ellyndale Organic Coconut Infusions Butter Flavor, Ellyndale Sugarless Sugar and a dash of vanilla extract, salt and cinnamon.

Bradley and Van Voorhis from Nude Dude Food wrapped up the demonstrations, preparing their Roasted Butternut Squash Bisque, as the clock ran out and finalists plated their dishes for the judges. Audience members were given copies of the chefs' demonstration recipes to try at home.

All evening, friends and family gathered near their favorite contestant's cooktop to show their support. Mark Clemens, who has competed in the challenge several times, drew a large crowd of supporters cheering him on. Many of his fans donned "Make Food, Not War" T-shirts, which they design and wear every year he makes the finals. This year's gray T-shirt featured a frying pan with a peace sign in the middle.

Clemens' daughter, Bridget Tully, made him his first "Make Food, Not War" T-shirt as a Christmas present a few years ago and the phrase stuck. She said her father now has several different T-shirts with the slogan that he wears often.

"I like seeing him in his element," said Tully. "He's just so happy when he's cooking."

Sponsor booths dotted the perimeter of the ballroom, giving attendees the chance to sample sweet foods, savory treats and everything in between while the finalists perfected their dishes. Many of the foods available for tasting had been used by contestants during several weeks of competition.

Ellyndale Foods had several of the ingredients contestants used throughout the challenge at their booth, including their Avocado Oil, Virgin Pumpkin Seed Oil, their NOW Foods Q Cups, and a sweetener, Erythritol. They used their vegan and gluten-free Organic Quinoa Macaroni to create a pasta salad dish topped with their extra-virgin olive oil, avocado, red pepper, agave nectar and avocado oil.

Gonnella Baking Co. sponsored the challenge for the first time this year. It's fresh Italian bread was a featured secret ingredient during the finale event and the company displayed many of its well-known breads at its booth in the ballroom. Gonnella has been making bread locally for more than 130 years.

"We love seeing the enthusiasm of the people here, not just from the chefs, but from the community," said Meg McDonnell, vice president of sales and marketing for Gonnella Baking Co.

Attendees also sampled meats from Greenridge Farm, Greek yogurt and toppings from Golden Brunch, and BBQ Korean filet from Chandler's Chophouse and Grille, one of sponsor Ala Carte Entertainment's restaurants.

Proceeds from the finale event benefitted Northern Illinois Food Bank, which had representatives on hand to talk to attendees about how to help stop hunger in the community. Sponsor Amita Health helped individuals learn how to be healthy in the kitchen and know how to spot hidden sources of fat and sugar. It's table was staffed by one of its registered dietitians.

Cooking Skills Academy in Itasca, also a sponsor, had a booth where it offered great deals on cooking classes for those in attendance. Pitts and the other contestants received cooking classes from the academy as part of their prizes.

Those with a sweet tooth were not disappointed as they watched the final four contestants prepare their flank steak dishes. Seasons 52 restaurant, Schaumburg, brought its popular Belgian Chocolate S'mores and Mocha Macchiato mini desserts for the audience to nibble on during the competition. Nothing Bundt Cakes brought five flavors for guests to sample - Chocolate Chocolate Chip, Red Velvet, White Chocolate Raspberry, Lemon and Pumpkin Spice. Cindy Adams, owner of Nothing Bundt Cakes in Mount Prospect, has been sponsoring the Cook of the Week Challenge for five years and enjoys seeing the many of the same people in the crowd at the finale year after year.

The Toasty Cheese Restaurant Group also brought something sweet to this year's finale event. They served salted caramel bars from The Crave Bar. Toasty Cheese, the restaurant group's original brand and food truck, also offered samples of its grilled cheese sandwich, The Kim Classic, paired with a Tomato Bisque Shooter.

The restaurant group also served hush puppies offered through its Best Truckin' BBQ brand and had taco samples available from the Toasty Taco food truck.

Many attendees stayed in the ballroom after Pitts was crowned champion to see if they won any of the raffle prizes provided by sponsors of the Cook of the Week Challenge, such as dinner and tickets to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra donated by Ala Carte Entertainment. Other sponsor raffle baskets included a Greenridge Farms gift basket, a Goya Foods gift basket, a Bucket of Goodies from Fox & Hound, a King Oscar gift basket; a three-month wine club membership and Magnum bottle of wine, donated by Cooper's Hawk Winery; and a Nielsen-Massey gift basket, among others.

As the night drew to a close, attendees left with high spirits, satisfied taste buds and an eagerness to head into the kitchen to cook for themselves, their friends, and their family. With so many inspiring ingredients and recipes now at their fingertips, it should be easy to do.

Cook of the Week Challenge prizes

Grand Prize

<b>Darla Pitts</b>• Chance to dine at Season 52's chef's table

• Thermador Emerald Series Integrated dishwasher from Novak & Parker/Thermador, valued at $1,250

• Gift cards from Jewel and Binny's Beverage Depot

• Cooking classes for two at Cooking Skills Academy in Itasca

Runner-up prizes

<b>Roberta Fahey, Oscar Chapa and Mark Clemens</b>• Classes for two at Cooking Skills Academy

• Gifts cards from Binny's and Jewel