All came to brunch, but only three left as champions

LAKEVILLE — “I’ve been a judge on ‘Hell’s Kitchen,’ and this was just as cutthroat!” Dana Bowen, executive editor at Martha Stewart Living, said at the Northeast Community Center’s Chef & Farmer Brunch Challenge on Sunday, July 31. 

“But it’s a lot more fun!” she added quickly.

As one of the judges, Bowen was part of the annual brunch’s new twist this summer: a competition to find the best appetizer, main course and dessert in the area. 

The annual challenge is a fundraiser for the Northeast Community Center, which is in Millerton. Its executive director is Sharon resident Jenny Hansell.

Held under a tent overlooking the rural wonders of The Hotchkiss School’s Fairfield Farm, on a day that felt more like crisp autumn than the recent sweltering days of summer, chefs from Isabel’s Kitchen in Pine Plains, the Black Rabbit Bar and Grill in Lakeville, 52 Main in Millerton, Chiquita Cotija in Millerton, the Falls Village Inn, The Farmer’s Wife in Ancramdale, NECC’s own Summer LunchBox program, Stissing House in Pine Plains, The Woodland in Lakeville and Morgan’s at the Interlaken Inn in Lakeville brought their best recipes to be sampled and scarfed down, not just by the judges, but by everyone who had bought tickets for the brunch buffet. 

Expert taste testers on hand to present the awards (which were lovely printed cutting boards) were Bowen, who’s made double appearances on Fox’s “Hell’s Kitchen;” Michael Harney, master tea blender and buyer for Harney & Sons Fine Teas; Joan Osofsky of Hammertown Barn; Dan Kish, senior vice president in charge of food for Panera Bread; and Dafna Mizrahi, chef and owner of Monte’s Local Kitchen, who took home the top prize on The Food Network’s “Chopped” last year. 

Best Appetizer went to The Farmer’s Wife. Bowen said,   “The fritter was such a crowd pleaser! And I was really impressed by the pesto, which was made with carrot tops. A lot of people don’t get that you can cook with carrot tops; it was so delicious and so surprising. And they won the People’s Choice Award. 

“I think everything they served was so appealing, from the chilled zucchini soup to the dessert, where they had Ronnybrook ice cream and set out a sundae bar with fresh blueberries and homemade caramel sauce.”

“The tamales were perfectly made,” Mizrahi said of the winning main course by Chiquita Cotija. “They used local ingredients, traditional ingredients. Making real tamales is a difficult thing to do. It’s time consuming. But they really put in all the time required to make something great.”

Dan Kish was taken with the winning dessert created by Charlie Norman, who joined 52 Main as head chef in February. 

“Thai basil lime tart with a meringue — it was a great, subtle, herbal note, with the tart lime flavor and the sweetness of the meringue just rounded it out. It was delicious! The Thai basil was a really interesting twist on a traditional key lime tart. 

“I have to say, all the chefs today put a lot of effort in. But there were so many interesting components in the three courses that 52 Main served, they rose to the top. Everyone was good, but they really nailed it on all three courses. 

“Still, it was a tough choice.”

The food was followed by a live auction, with an additional silent auction and ticket sales all going to NECC, a nonprofit that provides aid, food, job training and more to families in the area. 

“When this started, it was all just for extra fun,” Hansell said of the chef challenge. “But it’s turned into our central fundraiser of the year.”

“I am such a huge fan of what the North East Community Center does,” New York Assemblywoman Didi Barrett (D) said before heading in to sample the amuse-bouches. “I am in awe”