Culinary Tent

Schedule of Events

Saturday

Jose Garces, Saturday's Celebrity Chef

Held in the Special Events Tent, corner of Willow and State streets

• 10:30 am:  Chef Kristin McGuigan, executive chef at The Back Burner
• *1:30pm: Jose Garces, Food TV Iron Chef Jose Garces
• 2:45 pm: Jennifer Behm, MasterChef Season 2 (Fox Network)
• 4pm: Amateur Mushroom Soup Cook-off

* “Jose Garces at the Mushroom Festival” tickets ($20) on sale now for  1:30 pm demonstration

Sunday

Kevin Sbraga, Sunday's Celebrity Chef

Held in the Culinary Tent, corner of Cypress and Broad streets (behind Growers’ Exhibit)

• 10:30 am: Chef Steve Latona, instructor at the Restaurant School in Philadelphia
• Noon: Chef Cynthia Goch
• 1:30pm: Chef Kevin Sbraga, Top Chef DC (season 7) winner
• 3pm: Barbara Maletsky, Chef Barbara Foods
  

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Meet our guest chefs

Jose Garces
Chef Jose Garces is just one of six American chefs to hold Food TV’s title of Iron Chef after winning The Next Iron Chef competition. He is author of “Latin Evolution” and the 2008 winner of the James Beard “Best Mid-Atlantic Chef” award. He owns eight restaurants in Philadelphia and Chicago. Click here to learn more about him and his food at the Garces Restaurant Group’s website.

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Kevin Sbraga

Kevin came to the forefront of television cooking as the winner of Bravo’s Top Chef DC (season 7). Other accomplishments include Best Meat Presentation at the Bocuse d’Or USA in 2008, culinary director for Garces Restaurants and executive chef at Rat’s at the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton Township, NJ. He is currently developing his own Philadelphia restaurant, “Sbraga,” which is scheduled to open later this fall. Visit Kevin Sbraga’s website to learn more.

Kristin McGuigan

Back Burner Executive Chef, Kristin McGuigan began her career at the early age of 15. She has had a passion for food for as far back as she can remember. Growing up in a “food oriented” home, she remembers being mesmerized while helping her mother, aunts, and Babci (grandmother) on holidays in the kitchen. Now as Executive Chef and General Manager at The Back Burner, McGuigan is redefining the food as well as the dining experience. Learn more about Kristin at www.backburner.com

Stephen Latona

Chef Stephen Latona of The Restaurant School of Philadelphia returns to share his ideas for mushrooms with our guests.  Check out his demos posted on YouTube.

Cynthia Goch

As Cynthia Goch of GochYa Cooking, celebrates food, family and friends, she invites you to cook with her through her book, in her newly revised edition of “MaMa Mia Cucina ~ A Flavor of Good Food and Good Family”, her cooking classes and demonstrations, blogs, newsletters and events, she also weaves warmth, togetherness, and celebration into the family table. She shares old world Italian favorites, techniques, and her personal story, while moving into varied areas of food interests. Check Cynthia’s blog and recipes.

Jennifer Behm

Jennifer Behm, of Wilmington, Delaware, won Season 2 of MasterChef. The show challenges amateur home cooks to create restaurant-quality dishes. One of the highlights was defeating her “arch rival” in the next to the last challenge when she was given mushrooms as her main ingredient. She is now working on a cookbook.

Scenes from 2010 Culinary Demonstrations