Culinary Clash: Battle Los Angeles, a fundraising event that will benefit the California Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (CRAEF), will be a main special event at the 2013 Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo. Ten restaurant company teams will participate in the battle, slated to commence at 3 p.m. August 18 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
"We are thrilled to present the 2nd Annual Culinary Clash: Battle Los Angeles at our 2013 Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo," says Ron Mathews, industry vice president of Reed Exhibitions, producers of the event. "This exciting and interactive cooking competition among restaurant teams raises money for high school culinary arts education, and the Foundation's work nurturing the next generation of foodservice leaders inspires us to do what we can to ensure the future of the foodservice industry."
The Culinary Clash includes restaurant company corporate chefs and executives who team up with a ProStart student to prepare an amuse bouche and an entrée in 45 minutes using only two butane burners. Six judges will include Chef K – winner of ABC's The Taste Season One, as well as reps from Coca-Cola, Ecolab, Brad Metzger, PRO*ACT, and U.S. Foods. The teams include:
- BJ's Restaurants
- Chili's
- Crossroads West
- Daily Grill
- Lawry's Restaurants
- Ruth's Chris Steak House
- Sizzler
- Souplantation & Sweet Tomatoes
- Yard House
- Roy's
In addition to the cooking competition, the event includes an online fundraising campaign, where restaurant fans can make a small donation in the name of their favorite participating restaurant. The company that attracts the most donations will take home the top Purse award at the event. Fans can also go to the CRAEF Facebook page to support their favorite Culinary Clash challenger and donate to CRAEF. Small donations can make a big difference for the California Restaurant Association Educational Foundation's efforts in providing high-quality education, mentoring, scholarships, life skills training and support to more than 5,800 dedicated students across California enrolled in ProStart programs.
The 2013 Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo is the largest showcase of foodservice products in the Western United States. Other special events at the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo include the Food Trends Experience, The Ferdinand Metz Foodservice Forum, Expo Comida Latina, the Ultimate Barista Challenge, and the Rising Star Mystery Box Challenge.
