Celebrity chefs Battle at the Beach

When three of the Cape Region's top chefs pulled sweet corn, peaches, lump crab meat and white chocolate out of a box of secret ingredients, one thing was immediately clear: the most important ingredient they could have packed in the pantries they brought with them to a recent cooking competition was creativity.

Fortunately, all three chefs rose to the occasion during the Meals on Wheels Battle at the Beach event at 16 Mile Brewery in Georgetown.

With no more than 35 minutes from the time these secret ingredients were unveiled until service, the chefs sliced, spiced, sautéed, whisked, whipped, prepped and plated three outrageously off-the-wall culinary creations.

“I know it’s a really hard job but you all did a great job,” event judge and chef Jay Caputo said. “Thirty minutes seems like a lot but 30 minutes in chef time is like two seconds.”

Unfortunately, there could only be one winner at this, the first round of the Meals on Wheels new celebrity chef battle at the beach, based on “Chopped,” the Food Network show that challenges up-and-coming chefs to create a three-course meal from secret ingredients in 30 minutes or less.

Chefs were allowed to bring a pantry of everyday items like carrots and celery, Henlopen City Oyster House and Battle at the Beach contestant chef Bill Clifton said. They could also bring their own stove tops, knives, food processors and sous chefs.

Clifton decided to leave his sous chefs at the restaurant during one of the last reliably busy nights of the season. Instead, he opted to bring a waffle iron and go at it alone.

“I’m cooking by myself; I don’t need two people in my way,” Clifton said with a shrug. “I do this stuff in Chicago. I like to see how good I am.”

Chef Kevin Reading, of Abbott's Grill took top honors for his gnocchi dish paired with a peach, avocado and crab Napoleon and a white chocolate-corn zabaglione dessert. But everyone agreed the real winner was Meals on Wheels Delaware after organizers revealed the chef showdown raised enough money to provide 300 meals for house-bound seniors.

"We just wanted to expand the beach brunch in Sussex County and get a few events to lead up to it," Meals on Wheels beach brunch board member Meghan Gardner said. "We wanted to introduce some of the chefs who are going to be at the Celebrity Chef Beach Brunch in a little bit of a smaller venue."

Ticket sales brought in between $2,000 and $2,500 for the organization, which spends 60 percent of the money it raises in Sussex County.

The next preliminary event will again be held at 16 Mile Brewery in Georgetown from 6 to 8 p.m. on Sept.18. The winner of that event will go on to face Reading at a final event during the Celebrity Beach Brunch on Sunday, Oct. 7, at the Rusty Rudder.

Blue Moon and Espuma catered the first celebrity chef battle at the beach, while Hobos and A(muse.) will provide food for the upcoming event. 16 Mile will operate a cash bar and offer tastings in addition to a special collaboration brew,  #8 ECB, or Eastern Chef Brew, an ESB or extra special bitter ale brewed with figs, sumac and coriander.

For more information about the Celebrity Beach Brunch or to purchase tickets, visit www.mealsonwheelsde.org.