Tim Kovacs, the executive chef for Basil’s Restaurant and Marq VII Lounge, located in the Marquette Hotel, Minneapolis, received first place, chef par excellence honors at the 24th annual Taste of Elegance pork culinary competition. The event, hosted by the Minnesota Pork Board and the Pork Checkoff, took place earlier this month at the Minneapolis Hilton. The Taste of Elegance showcases the versatility of pork, the creativity of chefs and promotes the inclusion of pork on restaurant menus.
Judges awarded Kovacs first place for his recipe, Pork Praline with Butternut Squash Puree and Salted Pork Rillettes with Winter Truffles. Kovacs received $1,500 in prize money and will represent the Minnesota Pork Board at the 2012 National Pork Summit at the Culinary Institute of America in Graystone, St. Helena, Calif. There were 16 chefs who took part in the competition.
Kovacs’s pork recipe featured marinated pork loin stuffed with candied pecans and served alongside butternut squash puree and salted pork rillette that he prepared using pork back ribs drizzled with apple cider and cranberry gastrique and served with winter truffle salad.
Chef Jeff LaBeau, general manager at The Depot Bar and Grill in Faribault, earned second place, superior chef honors and $1,000 in prize money for his pork recipe, Bellies and Butts. His recipe utilized seasoned and smoked pork butt and roasted pork belly served with potato pancakes, rutabaga puree, kraut and diced apples prepared in a brown sugar and vinegar gastrique sauce. The 650 guests attending the Taste of Elegance evening award’s program also selected LaBeau’s recipe as the crowd favorite, earning him the People’s Choice Award and the $750 prize.
Christian Orosz, executive chef at the award winning catering business, Lettuce Cater, Columbia Heights, earned third place, premium chef and $750 in prize money. Orosz prepared Szechuan Pork Belly. His recipe featured roasted and braised marinated pork belly and medallion-sliced pork cheeks served with roasted appleand black currant chutney and black truffle infused potato puree.
Peter Christenson, executive chef for Woolley’s Restaurant, Bloomington, received $250 for the best evening table display.
Judges for the Taste of Elegance were last year’s winning chef, Jack Riebel, who will be opening the restaurant, Butcher & the Boar, 1121 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, in February; Chef Steven Shapely, executive chef and instructor at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, Minneapolis/St. Paul; and Ron Bohnert, executive chef at the StoneRidge Golf Club, Stillwater. The judges based their decisions on taste, appearance and originality of the pork dish.
A 64-page, complimentary Taste of Elegance cookbook that features the participating chefs’ pork recipes is available by emailing name and mailing address to mnpork@mnpork.com or by calling (507) 345-8814. The recipe booklet can also be viewed and downloaded at www.mnpork.com/consumers/taste.php .
A 64-page, complimentary Taste of Elegance cookbook that features the participating chefs’ pork recipes is available by emailing name and mailing address to mnpork@mnpork.com or by calling (507) 345-8814. The recipe booklet can also be viewed and downloaded at 
