Battle of the Bartenders at Food Show

BEST BARTENDERS BATTLE IT OUT IN BALTIMORE-Four teams stir up the competition in Battle of Bartenders: Cocktail Competition at 2010 Mid-Atlantic Food, Beverage & Lodging EXPO Teams of bartenders from Baltimore, Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Richmond are mixing their way to the top in a bracket-style competition on the show floor of the Mid-Atlantic Food, Beverage & Lodging EXPO on Wednesday, October 6th at 4 p.m. “We are excited to have the best bartenders throughout the Mid-Atlantic region shake up Baltimore with the Battle of the Bartenders,” said Paul Hartgen, president & CEO of the Restaurant Association of Maryland. “I look forward to seeing what the creative minds behind some of our region’s favorite bars come up with.” The teams will be presented with the same stock of approved ingredients, including a base spirit, and asked to create a cocktail with a secret ingredient given at the last minute.

A star-studded panel of judges will be using taste, uniqueness, and presentation to see which city’s bartenders live up to their hype. The team left standing at the end will have the honor of being named the Winner of the 2010 EXPO Battle of the Bartenders and be presented with an award following the competition. The panel of judges includes Michael Isabella, Executive Chef and Owner of Graffiato, a new Italian-inspired restaurant set to open in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of Washington, DC in the spring of 2011. Michael was most recently the Executive Chef of Zaytinya. He also appeared on Top Chef, Season Six and will compete on Top Chef All-Stars beginning December. Jason Tesauro, Co-Author of “The Modern Gentleman: A Guide to Essential Manners, Savvy & Vice”. He writes a wine & spirits column for The Sunday Paper (Atlanta, GA) and Richmond magazine.

The competing bartender teams are:

Baltimore: Jon Blair, Woodberry Kitchen; Russ Twining, Woodberry Kitchen; Jayce Flickinger, Grand Cru; Alec Franklin, Brewer’s Art

Philadelphia: Phoebe Esmon, Chick Café & Wine Bar and Pennsylvania Craft Bartender President; Stephen Seibert, Village Whiskey; Tom Pittakas, Imbibe Consulting; Christian Gaal, Nobel American Cookery and Pennsylvania Craft Bartender Vice President

Washington DC: Gina Chersavani, PS7s; Owen Thomson, Café Atlantico and Washington DC Craft Bartender President; John Hogan, Level, Bar Magic, Las Vegas; Dan Searing, Room 11 and Washington DC Craft Bartender Vice President

Richmond: Bobby Kruger, Julep’s New Southern Cuisine; Sara Carpenter, Can Can; Chris Simons, Lemaire; Sean Rapoza, Balliceaux T

he Battle of the Bartenders is one of the many exciting events being held at the 2010 Mid-Atlantic Food, Beverage & Lodging EXPO on October 6-7 at the Baltimore Convention Center.

Following the Battle of the Bartenders, The Restaurant Association of Maryland is hosting “An Evening on Top of Charm City” on the rooftop of the InterContinental Harbor Court Baltimore. The MLA Black Box Culinary Challenge, the only event of its kind in North America in 2010, will take place on October 6-7, in addition to the educational seminars on healthcare, social media, food trucks, and many more! Visit www.midatlanticexpo.com for a complete schedule of events.