Elegant menu for chefs association dinner

Clockwise from left: A dessert plate with a key lime mascarpone cream puff, slice of peach poundcake, and a slice of chocolate bourbon cake will be served at the chefs dinner.

When the Maumee Valley Chefs Association holds its annual scholarship dinner on March 29, it will have a new location, the Hilton Garden Inn in Perrysburg; a new format, and a partnership with the Northwest Ohio Restaurant Association in presenting scholarships.

In the past, the association has had buffet stations. This year's event is a plated sit-down dinner with four entree choices, including a vegetarian selection. Among the entrees is pan-seared Chilean sea bass with citrus beurre blanc prepared by chef Will Richardson of Tamaron Country Club; roasted tenderloin of beef stuffed with bacon and spinach and served with roasted red potatoes and bleu-cheese cheesecake, prepared by chef Doug Corcoran from the Rosary Care Center; a vegetarian Napolean with sun-dried tomato cheesecake, prepared by chef Marcel Hesseling of Toledo Yacht Club, featuring Chef Marcel Catering, and breast of chicken a la Louisianne served with cheddar-cheese grits, prepared by Chef Chris Bates of the Restaurant Training Center.

The appetizer table will be prepared by Chef Marshall Golstein of the Heritage care facility in Findlay. A trio of desserts by Melissa Kolmar and Haven Whalen - key lime mascarpone cream puff, slice of peach poundcake, and a slice of chocolate bourbon cake - will finish the gourmet meal. Both young women are past scholarship recipients.

The Northwest Ohio Restaurant Association and the American Culinary Federation Maumee Valley Chefs' Association have joined to award scholarships to students enrolled or soon to be enrolled in post-secondary culinary or hospitality programs. In addition, other scholarships from purveyors will be awarded at the dinner.

The host chef of the dinner is Kirk Dixon, executive chef of the Hilton Garden Inn. Jerry Kraushaar is chairman of the event. Appetizers will be served at 5 p.m. and dinner at 6.

The cost of the dinner is $45, and the deadline for tickets is March 18. For tickets and information, call MVCA president Ed Gozdowski at 419-297-0660.

During February's American Culinary Federation Northeast Regional Conference in Boston, the ACF Awards, Northeast Region Chapter Achievement Awards were awarded to 20 chapters. Among the recipients is the Maumee Valley Chefs Chapter ACF in Toledo. The ACF Pittsburgh Chapter was named the ACF Northeast Region Chapter of the Year.

500 Years of American Grapes and Wine: A Remarkable Journey will be exhibited through May 29 at the University of Michigan's Clements Library at 909 South University on the main campus in Ann Arbor. Daniel T. Longone is the curator of the exhibit featuring books and ephemera that define the history of American wine making.

It is open weekdays from 1 to 4:45 p.m. or by appointment. Information: Call Jan Longone at 734-764-2347.

The 44th Pillsbury Bake-Off contest is open for entries. Participants could win $1 million with one recipe idea. Creative cooks may enter online at bakeoff.com until April 20.

New eligible ingredients include Hershey's cocoa baking chips or bits and baking chocolates, Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk, Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Recipe Creations, and Pillsbury Refrigerated Thin Pizza Crust. New prizes include an award recognizing Crisco Cooking Oil as an ingredient.

There are four contest categories, and judges will award a prize for the top recipe in each category. One of the four category winners will win the $1 million grand prize and kitchen appliances. The three remaining recipe category winners each receive $5,000 and a free-standing range. Additional awards will be presented. Each of the 100 finalists wins a trip to the contest finals in Florida on April 10-13, 2010.

The four categories are Breakfasts and Brunches, Entertaining Appetizers, Dinner Made Easy, and Sweet Treats. For more information, complete rules, and eligible products, visit bakeoff.com.

According to a 2007 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study of alternative medicine, one in every 200 Americans under the age of 18 eats a vegetarian diet.

One might think that a diet made of plant products would contribute to a trim waistline, but nutrition experts say vegetarian diets are not necessarily slimming, according to the Produce for Better Health Foundation. Some vegetarian kids may cut out meat but fill up on doughnuts, candy, soda, or chips instead. So it is important that their diet include nutrient-rich foods.

The Fruit & Veggies-More Matters Web site, fruitandveggiesmorematters.org, has a Get Kids Involved section devoted to questions parents may have about vegetarian children and providing good nutrition.