Chef Troy Trostel of Trostel’s Greenbriar Restaurant in Johnston won first place honors at the Iowa Restaurant Association’s Dine Iowa Grand Tasting Gala held at the Atrium in Capital Square in downtown Des Moines on September 25. The competition was sponsored by the Iowa Beef Industry Council and the Soyfoods Council. All chefs featured a beef ribeye and a tofu side dish or sauce. The chefs worked with Braveheart Angus Beef® courtesy of Performance Food Group. Chef Mike Holman of Dos Rios Cantina & Tequila Lounge placed second in the competition and Chef Augustin Quintana of Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino won People’s Choice honors. All three chefs received medals and cash prizes. Creative & Innovative Culinary Masterpieces As part of the competition, nine Iowa chefs presented their original culinary masterpieces in a professionally judged format. Throughout the month of September, a team of judges traveled to each chef’s establishment to taste and critique each competition dish. Each dish was judged on appearance, taste, tenderness, texture and use of product as well as overall creativity and practicality. Creativity and innovation were rewarded with bonus points. After all dishes were judged, the chefs came together at the Dine Iowa Grand Tasting Gala and presented sample size portions of the same dishes to more than 300 culinary connoisseurs. Each attendee cast their vote and awards were presented at the end of the evening. Winning Dish Trostel’s winning dish, entitled Trostel’s Two Generations Ribeye, featured a char grilled, gunpowder seasoning ribeye filet with horseradish parsnip potato puree and pinwheel ribeye cap steak on roasted sweet corn pepper croutons and sliced tofu stuffed beets, and was finished with a Wild Horse merlot reduction and poblano cream sauce. “This competition is held as a celebration of Iowa restaurant industry month,” said May Schaben, vice president of the Iowa Restaurant Association. “The level of difficulty and creativity from year to year is consistently better than the last. This year’s chefs were extremely competitive, and the scores proved it. To receive top honors in a statewide competition like this is a great accomplishment.”

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Iowa Restaurant Association The Iowa Restaurant Association is an advocacy organization supporting Iowa’s industry with educational and promotional programs across the state. www.restaurantiowa.com Media Contact: Katelyn Kostek Public Relations Specialist Iowa Restaurant Association kkostek@restaurantiowa.com 515-276-1454