MGM Resorts International has named the winners of its second annual MGM Resorts Recipe Showdown in Las Vegas, it announced yesterday.
Seattle-based meeting planner Lori Brennan (pictured, with MGM Resorts International Chief Sales Officer Michael Dominguez), leadership development coordinator for Amazon, won first place for her family's "Seattle Salmon Bowl." Second place went to Salt Lake City planner Nancy Nachman of The Meetings Concierge for her "Spanish-Style White Fish Stew," while third place went to Chicago planner Maria Garcia of BCD Meetings & Events for her "Huarache de Sonora" appetizer.
"The Seattle Salmon Bowl was our top pick because the dish was simple and elegant. The rice and salmon were cooked perfectly, and the flavors of each ingredient worked well to enhance the other. The sauce had the right amount of salinity, the radish sprouts added a hint of spiciness, and the avocado provided the creamy richness we crave. Well done!" said Royden Ellamar, executive chef of the soon-to-open Harvest at Bellagio, who was one of three chefs who judged the competition, along with Joshua Smith from BARDOT Brasserie at ARIA and Steve Benjamin of L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand.
The MGM Resorts International Recipe Showdown was launched in 2014. The premise is simple: Meeting planners who submit a recipe online are invited to compete in one of 16 local city showdowns. The top three finalists from each city has their recipes featured in a recipe book by and for meeting and travel professionals. Each city's first-place finalist is then flown to Las Vegas for the national finals, where they prepare their dish in front of a live audience, including a panel of celebrity chefs from MGM Resorts restaurants who judge each dish and choose a winner.
First place wins an all-expenses-paid trip to the South Beach Wine & Food Festival in Miami. Second place wins a three-night stay at an MGM Resorts destination in Las Vegas, including airport limo transfer and dinner each night. And third place wins a two-night stay at an MGM Resorts destination in Las Vegas, including airport limo transfer and dinner each night.
"The Recipe Showdown gave us a unique, fun vehicle to engage with our travel and meeting community throughout the year," Dominguez said. "The lively competition allowed colleagues to interact in a new way, bringing people together with the joy of food."
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