COOPERSTOWN, New York — With a firm and passionate belief that great beer deserves great food, Brewery Ommegang is tapping into local food scenes by expanding its HopChef Competition nationally as it starts its third year. Today the Cooperstown, NY-based, Belgian-style brewery announced the schedule for the 2014 competition, which will bring it to the West Coast and Southeast for the first time ever. Once again, Ommegang will have food-industry stalwarts SAVEUR Magazine and StarChefs as its partners, all-working together to bring the hottest up-and-coming chefs together in a top-notch demonstration of culinary talent.
Brewery Ommegang’s HopChef events will take place in the following cities with confirmed dates and locations to be announced a later date on www.Ommegang.com/HopChef:
- Miami — April 28, 2014 at The Biltmore Hotel
- Boston — May
- San Francisco — June
- Philadelphia — July
- Cooperstown (HopChef Finals) – August
- Los Angeles — September
- New York City – October
- Dallas — November
“More and more people are discovering that beer, more so than wine, is the perfect accompaniment with fine fare,’’ said Bill Wetmore, Marketing Director for Brewery Ommegang. “There are so many more flavors to explore and so much more versatility. I am truly amazed each year at the clever concoctions the HopChefs create and just how well they work alongside our beers.”
In each city, a line-up of six to eight hand-selected chefs from leading restaurants will create one dish showcasing their imaginative beer and food pairing skills. The dishes, all paired with Ommegang ales, will be served to a panel of judges and attendees, to taste and score. The judging panel, made up of sponsors, chefs, restaurant owners/managers and local celebrities will base their ratings on HopChef’s 5 Pairing Principles:
5 Pairing Principles:
- Simple Pairing— direct interaction of taking a bite of food and a sip of beer
- Incorporation— use of beer in cooking process
- Mimicking— matching the flavor profile of dish with the flavor profile of beer
- Story Telling — beer has lots of history — how it was made, where, by whom, and why┬¡— tell the beer’s story with the dish
- Experimental — making beer into the star of a unique dish
The HopChef winner from each city will be invited to the Grand Finale to compete against winners from Miami, Boston, Denver, San Francisco and Philadelphia at Ommegang’s annual Belgium Comes to Cooperstown festival on Aug. 9, 2014.The 2014 Grand Prize winner will receive a spotlight position on the SAVEUR Tastemakers board, a spotlight in SAVEUR Magazine & StarChefs.com editorial, a showcase with Brewery Ommegang at the StarChefs.com International Chefs Congress and a showcase station with Brewery Ommegang at the SAVEUR Summer BBQ, both in New York.
Tickets for each city’s event will include samples of each chef’s signature dish and accompanying Ommegang beers as well as a commemorative Brewery Ommegang glass. Tickets will be available for purchase on http://hopchef2014.ticketleap.com.
About Brewery Ommegang
Brewery Ommegang, located on a 136-acre farmstead in Cooperstown, NY, is regarded by many as the most beautiful brewery in America. The company opened in 1997 to brew fine Belgian-style craft beers, which are now distributed in 45 states. The brewery offers daily tours and tastings as well as a 100-seat café and an annual calendar of events, concerts and beer festivals. For more information, visit http://www.ommegang.com. Follow Ommegang on Twitter @BreweryOmmegang, www.Facebook.com/Ommegang, and on Instagram @BreweryOmmegang.