5th Annual StarChefs.com International Chefs Congress (ICC)

NEW YORK, Aug. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- September 20-22 2010, the world's most respected chefs, mixologists, sommeliers, and restaurateurs are gathering in New York to discuss the latest trends in the food and beverage industries.  The historic Park Avenue Armory will once again host over 70 presenters and 1,500 of their culinary peers. The three day symposium is the most influential platform for sharing techniques, conducting live cooking demonstrations, leading hands-on workshops and discussing the constantly changing business environment.

This year's ever-evolving theme Creativity: Art vs. Craft has long been a subject of debate: is cooking an art or a craft? ICC will give presenters the opportunity to define their role within the creative process. Whether it's Daniel Patterson's cerebral brand of culinary magic, Rick Moonen's take on the future of sustainable seafood, or Dale DeGroff's recent mixology tinkering, for three days, chefs, restaurateurs, sommeliers and mixologists will pay tribute to the intersections of art and craft and the common thread of creativity and its expression.

"What makes this event singular is it not only brings together all the culinary influencers on a global level, but it allows us to witness, discuss and influence food trends that will eventually end up at most restaurants – from fine dining to fast food. Whether it's the gourmet food truck trend from last year or off-cuts, which is taking economical cuts of meat and making them taste great, or the pop up restaurant trend, it all starts here with the most brilliant culinary minds coming together to discuss the future of food," says Antoinette Bruno, StarChefs.com Editor-in-Chief.

The 2010 line up includes some of the most respected culinary industry leaders in the world. Thomas Keller, famed for The French Laundry, but notably one of the most influential chefs of all time, is joining a panel discussion moderated by author Michael Ruhlman (The Soul of a Chef) with Dan Barber (Blue Hill) and David Kinch (Manresa, Los Gatos, CA) to discuss the role of creativity in the culinary arts. The dialogue will touch on related tensions in the industry and will strive to bring attendees to a common ground. The panel will conclude with a discussion about the future of creativity, art, and craft in cooking.

Additional key presenters include Albert Adria (Inopia Classic Bar, Barcelona) who will provide a peek into the award winning film "A Day at el Bulli," and discuss what it's like to be the chef at one the world's most famous restaurants. Charlie Palmer, most notably from Aureole, will present a demonstration based on the theme of mentoring, with the help of four of his proteges, and Antoinette Bruno CEO and Editor-in-Chief of StarChefs.com, along with Marcus Samuelson (Red Rooster) and Ed Levine (Serious Eats) will discuss how the culinary power structure has transitioned from a gourmet oligarchy to an all-out foodie revolution with the advent of sites like Yelp, Eater, Serious Eats and Grub Street.  The full line up is available on http://www.starchefs.com/cook/events/icc/2010.

New to the ICC this year is the StarChefs.com International Pastry Competition presented by PreGel. Over three days, 20 of the industry's leading international and US pastry chefs will go through two elimination rounds, culminating in three finalists competing for a grand prize. The winner will be awarded two trips: one to Paris, France, including round trip airfare, a five-night hotel stay for the winner and a guest, and three days at the Pierre Herme Studio in Paris, provided by Bravo North America. The winner will also receive round trip airfare and a four night stay in Costa Rica with a visit to the Rainforest Alliance Certified Cocoa Plantation provided by Belcolade.  Designed specifically with the fine dining restaurant pastry chef in mind this competition focuses on elements critical to the execution of a well-rounded dessert menu. Participants will be judged on presentation, creativity, taste, and theme by a who's who of culinary innovators, including Albert Adria, Elizabeth Falkner, Wylie Dufresne, Johnny Iuzzini, Jacques Torres and Jeffrey Steingarten.

Also new to ICC this year is the StarChefs.com Somm Slam sponsored by Constellation Wines U.S. This first annual Somm Slam puts sommeliers through the ringer as they scramble to pair wines on the fly to create the best parings with no advance knowledge of the dishes. The Somm Slam is a multi-day contest and the winner will be rewarded a trip to the Ruffino Estate Vineyards in Tuscany.

The 2010 ICC will also host the 2010 StarChefs.com Innovator Awards to be announced on the Congress Main Stage on Wednesday, September 22nd. These awards are given to three chefs and four products for their outstanding performance in the realm of American cuisine. The awards are voted on by ICC attendees, except the Contribution to American Cuisine Award, which is voted on by the StarChefs.com Chefs Advisory Board.

Lead 2010 StarChefs.com International Chefs Congress sponsors include Anheuser Busch, Belcolade, Carpigiani, Jade Range, John Koerner & Company, Meat & Livestock Australia, TempStations, Wisconsin Cheese, Bravo, Canada Pork, International, Constellation Wines US, Hobart, Irinox, Nordaq Fresh,Sambonet/Rosenthal/Paderno, Steelite International, True Mfg, Unified Brands, Vitamix, William-Sonoma and Polyscience.

Tickets and admission to the StarChefs.com International Chefs Congress are limited to restaurant industry professionals. A limited number of subsidized culinary passes will be available. To purchase tickets, visit www.starchefs.com/icc or call 212-966-7575.

In conjunction with ICC, on Wednesday, September 22nd, StarChefs.com will be hosting the annual New York Rising Stars Revue at the Maritime Parc at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ hosted by Chris Siverson. Rising Stars is a national award that recognizes up-and-coming chefs, pastry chefs, sommeliers and mixologists in four major culinary markets each year. This walk-around tasting gala is open to the public. For more information, please go to our site: http://www.starchefs.com/risingstars.

StarChefs.com™, the magazine for culinary insiders celebrating its 15-year anniversary in 2010, has been serving the restaurant industry since 1995. StarChefs.com's original culinary content is driven by in-person tastings and interviews across the world. Its mission is to catalyze culinary professionals' success and give them the tools they need to overcome their specific challenges. In addition to featuring top chefs, pastry chefs, sommeliers and mixologists, StarChefs.com's Culinary JobFinder is the leading job board connecting culinary and hospitality professionals to careers in the foodservice industry. StarChefs.com features more than 27,000 published pages of original, chef-focused culinary content and generates monthly traffic of over 20 million hits per month; it was nominated in 2008 for Best Web Site for Food and Nutrition by the James Beard Foundation and has received many other accolades and awards.

SOURCE Starchefs.com