Mason Dixon Master Chef Tournament Begins June 17th

The Mason Dixon Master Chef Tournament, a summer long single-elimination culinary competition, featuring 16 local restaurants and chef teams is set to begin this month. The tournament, which began in 2010, has moved back to Baltimore City this year, and found a new home at Mari Luna Bistro (1225 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, MD 21201) right in the heart of the cultural district.

This year’s tournament looks to be the best year yet, and has some exciting new features to offer guests, all included with their admission:

• Each week of the tournament will feature a geographic region. Chef teams will be required to keep that theme as they create and prepare an appetizer, entrée and dessert using featured products from tournament sponsors.
  
  
• Happy Hour will include wine and spirit tasting each evening, with different vintners and distributors hosting and bringing some interesting and different things to try each week, like a Tequila tasting and a Punch Bowl tasting, as well as traditional wine tastings.
  
  
• Happy Hour will also include hors d’ouerves prepared by Mari Luna Bistro using featured products from some of the tournament’s top sponsors.
  
  
• A dessert bar and coffee will be provided at the end of each evening throughout the competition.
  

The first week of competition (June 17th and 18th) will be “Battle Chesapeake” featuring:

• Rockfish, local oysters and clams from E. Goodwin and Sons
  
• Clam juice from Roland Foods
  
• Mustard and apple cider vinegar from Heinz Foodservice
  

Happy Hour will feature a Punch Bowl Tasting hosted by Eric Rumenap of Country Vintner and will feature drinks and tips from The Punch Bowl by Dan Searing. With guests tasting small batch spirits in the complementary Punch Bowl tasting, including rum, bourbon, and Tennessee whiskey.

Event details for each match of the tournament are available at: http://www.masondixonmasterchef.com/about-the-tournament/menu.php

Tickets for this live, interactive, local event are on sale now at www.masondixonmasterchef.com and are just $25 for General Admission, $45 for Judge Experience (where guests get to taste the entrees and vote on the winner) with 10% of the net proceeds going directly to Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland (www.mealsonwheelsmd.org).

Posted on Minxeats.com.