INDIANAPOLIS — Chef Steve Oakley from Oakley’s Bistro in Indianapolis took home the top award at this year’s Taste of Elegance held on Monday at the Indiana Roof Ballroom in Indianapolis. The premier chef’s competition — hosted by Indiana Pork in partnership with Indiana Farm Bureau, Indiana Soybean Alliance and the Indiana Corn Marketing Council — is a culinary event designed to inspire innovative and exciting ways to menu pork.
Each year, the Taste of Elegance program brings talented chefs together from across Indiana to compete in the prestigious event created to encourage chefs to use pork more frequently in creative, non-traditional ways. The event attracts over 400 pork farmers, lawmakers, ag industry leaders and dignitaries to downtown Indianapolis for an evening of elegance and celebration.
The 2017 Indiana Taste of Elegance featured some of the state’s top chefs, including:
- Chef Michael Gomez – Gomez BBQ, Indianapolis
- Chef Justin Bauerle – Peterson’s, Indianapolis
- Chef Brendon Cheney – JW Marriott, Indianapolis
- Chef Thom England – Courses Restaurant @ Ivy Tech, Indianapolis
- Chef Steven Oakley – Oakley’s Bistro, Indianapolis
- Chef Estaban Rosas – Rook, Indianapolis
- Chef Neil Brown, Ukiyo/Neil Brown Hospitality, Indianapolis
- Chef Joseph Hsu, 5280 Bistro, Indianapolis
- Chef Eli Laidlaw, Plat 99, Indianapolis
- Chef Craig Mariutto, Shoefly, Indianapolis
- Chef Edward Sawyer, Bluebeard, Indianapolis
- Chef Alan Sternberg, Cerulean, Indianapolis
- Chef Alexa Lemley, Artisan Foodworks, Columbus
- Chef Daniel Stackpoole, Madisons, Pendleton
Oakley’s winning entrée was a dish that included pork brisket, cheek and tongue with a bacon marmalade, an apple-pear coulis and pork reduction. As the Taste of Elegance winner, Oakley was presented with a check for $1,000 from Indiana Pork. He will represent Indiana at the Pork Summit hosted by National Pork Board in Napa Valley, Calif.
Other winning chefs from the night include:
- Superior Chef Award: Brendon Cheney – JW Marriott, Indianapolis
- Premium Chef Award: Alan Sternberg – Cerulean, Indianapolis
- Wine Pairing Award: Craig Mariutto- Shoefly, Indianapolis
- People’s Choice Award – Favorite Entrée: Brendon Cheney, JW Marriott, Indianapolis
- People’s Choice Award – Favorite Wine: Blackhawk Winery, Sheridan
- People’s Choice Award – Favorite Display: Brendon Cheney – JW Marriott, Indianapolis
— Indiana Pork