Chef Elizabeth Davis named the top supermarket chef in the country for her yu sheng citrus salad platter
DAVENPORT, Iowa (June 19, 2015) – Elizabeth Davis, chef at the Davenport No. 2 Hy-Vee, was recently named the best supermarket chef in the country by the Food Marketing Institute. Davis was named the Grand Champion and winner of the holiday platters category for her yu sheng citrus salad platter at the 2015 FMI Supermarket Chef Showdown competition last week.
"We are continually wowed by the creativity and professionalism of our own Hy-Vee chefs and thank them for all their hard work and dedication to their craft," said Nate Stewart, vice president of perishables at Hy-Vee, Inc. "We're extremely proud of Chef Elizabeth and of the strong team of chefs who represented Hy-Vee in the competition."
Fifteen chefs across five categories competed in the competition, now in its third year. The chefs cooked their dishes in front of a live audience at the FMI Connect conference on June 11. The dishes had to use sponsored ingredients and take less than 25 minutes to prepare. Entrants were judged on taste, presentation, creativity and consumer appeal.
"Being able to win while representing Hy-Vee means a lot to me," Davis said. "The competition shows our customers the culinary expertise our chefs have. It was a wonderful experience and one of the greatest things I've been part of."
Chef Amy Gleason of the Linden Market Hy-Vee in Omaha, Nebraska, and Chef Bryan Williams of the Rock Bridge Hy-Vee in Columbia, Missouri, also won their categories during the competition. Gleason won the breakfast on-the-go category for her cinnamon-scented faro breakfast parfait and Williams won the dessert category for his red curry and coconut bread pudding. Winners in each category were awarded $1,000 cash prizes.
Judges for the competition included Susan Westmorland, food director of Good Housekeeping at Hearst Magazines; Pat Cobe, senior editor of Restaurant Business Magazine; and Chef Philip Watson, executive chef at Green Acres Country Club in Northbrook, Illinois.
As part of her prize, Davis was awarded an all-expenses-paid culinary trip for two to the Italian Culinary Institute in Calabria, Italy.
###
Hy-Vee, Inc. is an employee-owned corporation operating more than 235 retail stores across eight Midwestern states with sales of $8.7 billion annually. Hy-Vee ranks among the top 25 supermarket chains and the top 50 private companies in the United States. Supermarket News, the authoritative voice of the food industry, has honored the company with a Whole Health Enterprise Award for its leadership in providing services and programs that promote a healthy lifestyle. For more information, visit www.hy-vee.com.
