Capital Food Fight Live Blog

Michael Mina Wins Capital Food Fight 2009

William Neuheisel — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:50:21 +0000

Mike Isabella serves judges Ted Allen and Eric Ripert

Michael Mina emerged victorious Wednesday night in front of a sold-out crowd, besting two time champ Barton Seaver in the final battle.

The on-stage action was intense, with some of the area’s hottest chefs competing, including two current Top Chef contestants (Mike Isabella and Bryan Voltaggio), this year’s WCR Golden Whisk winner (Tracy O’Grady), Esquire Magazine’s Chef of the Year (Barton Seaver), and the nationally renown Michael Mina.

The real showstopper though may have been the surprise battle between former Top Chef finalist Carla Hall and Hell’s Kitchen winner Rock Harper, with Anthony Bourdain and Jose Andres serving as sous chefs. The crowd’s excitement was palpable and in fact the contest was decided by an applause-o-meter. The crowd favored Hall and Bourdain’s pairing of foie gras with the fresh local pears that served as secret ingredient.

Jose Andres and Anthony Bourdain appeal to the crowd during their surprise battle, serving as sous chefs to Chef Rock and Carla Hall, respectively.

Over 60 restaurants served signature dishes to the crowd, ranging from braised octopus (Zaytinya) to tandoori chicken sliders (Co Co. Sala).

The event was a spectacular success and raised a record amount of funds to support our mission to combat hunger and create opportunity.

Many thanks to our sponsors, battling chefs, celebrity guests, partner restaurants, and to our many friends in attendance, who all make our work possible!

Ted Allen and Mark Kessler Reflect on the Capital Food Fight

William Neuheisel — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:23:16 +0000

Just try to keep up with Jose. I dare you

William Neuheisel — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:03:28 +0000

Here’s a great clip of Jose teasing Mike Isabella, and sparring with Anthony Bourdain.

Battling Chef Interviews

William Neuheisel — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:00:11 +0000

I caught up with Peter Smith, a contestant in the 2008 Capital Food Fight, and Mike Isabella just before he went on stage to compete tonight.

On Stage Tour

William Neuheisel — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:13:48 +0000

The Armory

William Neuheisel — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:32:22 +0000

I caught this video just after we took inventory of our kitchen tools for the battles. Here’s a look at what’s in the chefs’ arsenal tonight:

Tweet The Best Eats

William Neuheisel — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:55:41 +0000

I’ll be tweeting from @dcck using hashtag #cff09

Send me any hot tips about the best food, and let me know what you like.

Get Excited – 24 Hours until Capital Food Fight 2009!

William Neuheisel — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:17:05 +0000

We’re just one day out from the hottest food event in Washington, DC!

We’ve got 60 of the area’s hottest restaurants, 6 top chefs preparing to battle live on-stage, and national foodie celebrities judging and hosting.

I’ll be live blogging the event right here, so stay tuned for updates…