Winner will appear in Taste of Home magazine, cook with Carla Hall, and take home $25,000
I cook with precision and deep respect for food. Every detail matters, every dish carries meaning, connecting cultures and hearts with Love.
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"Pacific Ember Glazed Citrus Salmon" A skin-on Atlantic salmon, slow-marinated in a house teriyaki, Korean pepper flakes, demerara sugar, and fresh pineapple reduction, grilled to a caramelized finish. Accompanied by steamed jasmine rice and charred broccolini, finished with a silky lemon-herb garlic beurre blanc sauce.
Who is your culinary inspiration?My mother, Emeril Lagasse, Jacques Pépin, Wolfgang Puck, and Jean-Pierre Brehier, to name a few, have played a significant role in inspiring a beginning to a whole new love for me. Watching them work is like watching what can happen when you combine your imagination with your passion. They give everything to their craft while never losing their sense of self or the joy the food brings them. They remind me not to take myself too seriously, but to take the food seriously.
What would you do with the $25,000?The $25,000 would be the foundation of a dream I've been building toward. I'd use it to secure a space where I can cook, cater, and share my skills through virtual content — bringing people into my kitchen from anywhere in the world. The ultimate goal is a brick-and-mortar location where my catering business, food truck, and cooking school all live under one roof.
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