Who’s the area’s chief chef?
It’s a far cry from being an aspiring molecular biologist to becoming the chef/owner of two restaurants — the popular Baltimore restaurant Waterfront Kitchen and the soon-to-open Farmstead Grill.
But that’s just where Jerry Pellegrino finds himself. Inspired by his family and his Italian heritage, Pellegrino, 50, gave up his early career goals for a life around food.
“My mother cooked dinner for the family every night,” Pellegrino recalled. “I saw how much she cared about what she made, and it has stuck with me ever since.
“And we’re Italian,” he continued with a chuckle. “That’s just what we do…cook, eat and drink.”
Pellegrino will share that expertise when he serves as a judge at the fifth annual Mason Dixon Master Chef Tournament. In the eight-week single-elimination competition, which runs from June through July, 16 chefs will compete to be named the Master Chef.
While two competitors in each battle prepare three courses for five expert chef judges and 30 guest judges, audience members get to enjoy the show and dine on the cuisine of the host venue.
Soaring popularity
Inspired by popular televised competitions such as “Iron Chef” and “Hell’s Kitchen,” tournament founder Erik Folkart is enthusiastic about the increased popularity of the event in the five years since it began.
“Since last year’s tournament, we’ve had a ‘positive’ problem, in that we were selling out several of the tournament dates. Accommodating all the ‘foodies’ who wanted to attend had become a challenge,” Folkart said.
To satisfy the growing interest, the tournament this year will be held at the Inn at the Colonnade, a larger venue that can accommodate up to 130 guests at a time.
Ten percent of the net proceeds from the event will be donated to Meals on Wheels to aid more than 1,200 homebound seniors.
Of the tournament’s increasing popularity, Pellegrino said, “The general public is fascinated by food and how it is prepared. Adding the competition element only makes it more intriguing.”
Furthermore, the elevated interest in this type of tournament speaks to the culinary renaissance that has occurred in Baltimore in recent years.
“Baltimore has changed so much in the 15 years I’ve been involved in the food scene here. I think we can rightfully take our place in the list of great food cities on the east coast,” Pellegrino reflected.
Pellegrino has taken part in the tournament in each of the past five years as both a judge and Master of Ceremonies. He appreciates the concept of the “celebrity chef.”
“I think that, for too long, being a chef wasn’t considered a ‘real job,’” he said. “Now, the ‘celebrity chef’ has given credibility to our craft. Culinary schools have the highest enrollment rate in their histories.”
Pellegrino has no plans to partake in competitions like those found on the Food Network or the Cooking Channel, which he believes would detract from his work and local community involvement. But he does embrace the opportunity to work locally with the competitors.
“Watching young chefs put forth this incredible effort is exciting,” he said. “What they get done in the time allotted is very impressive.”
First-time competitor
One of the chefs Pellegrino is looking forward to judging is first-time competitor Chef Mark Tracey, 53. Tracey is a graduate of the Baltimore International Culinary Arts Institute, and has worked as a chef for the past 28 years.
Like Pellegrino, working in the kitchen was a departure from Tracey’s original pursuits. His first career involved repairing Saabs and Volvos. But his passion for creating food that is fresh and interesting led him into the culinary world.
Tracey’s specialty is French cooking, which he feels offers the most creativity. He has worked in several notable Baltimore restaurants, including the Conservatory at the Peabody Court Hotel and the Polo Grill at the Inn at the Colonnade, in addition to the Ritz Carlton in Washington, D.C.
Currently he works as executive chef for Roland Park Place Retirement Community, where he says his goal is to “elevate” the cuisine. Tracey says his greatest reward as a chef is making the guests smile.
“I really feel that people need to know that food in retirement communities can be as exciting as at any five-star restaurant,” Tracey said.
Having never competed previously, either locally or in a larger market, Tracey said he is very excited about the opportunity and honored to have been chosen to take part in the tournament.
Changing perceptions
Among the challenges Tracey tends to meet in his current line of work are “stereotypes and personal biases people have about the food I make because of where I work,” he said, “as well as battling stereotypes people have about retirement communities and older adults in general.
“People look at me and automatically assume things about the way I cook, what I cook, and who I cook for, because I work at a retirement community. I can’t wait to change everything that people think they know about retirement communities and food in retirement communities.”
To underscore his point, Tracey expressed great enthusiasm about the adventure of using different — perhaps unusual —ingredients, and cooking to themes such as Parisian or Southeast Asian.
“Because I’m easily bored with food, I try to do different things for myself every day,” Tracey said. This helps him to create exciting new dishes, like a recent take on a chili dog that used spare ribs, homemade sauerkraut and jalapeno poppers.
Tracey is also excited about using local ingredients for entertaining. One dish he would love to make for guests is an appetizer of “skinny dipper” oysters on the half shell, crispy fried soft shell crabs on a sweet corn pudding with fresh local asparagus and an old bay aioli, and crème brulee for dessert.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Tracey will open his own restaurant one day. He even has a concept in mind — French seafood, where everything is made from scratch and all ingredients, if possible, are locally sourced.
For now though, Tracey is focused on the challenge of the upcoming competition and “trying to do food that impresses the other competitors.”
Tracey will compete from 6 to 9 p.m. on July 14, the next-to-last week of the preliminary competition.
While food culinary competitions draw big ratings, Folkart observed that televised shows can be somewhat “one dimensional.” In contrast, the Mason Dixon Master Chef Tournament provides the added “ingredient” of being live, so that audience members can stand “truly inches away” from the chefs as they are cooking.
Those who purchase guest judge tickets will also be able to participate in the judging process, tasting the food alongside the expert judges, and having a vote in who moves forward in the tournament. For an additional twist, this year a last-minute secret ingredient reveal will also be implemented.
The winner of the competition will not only earn the title of Master Chef, but will also take away a prize package worth about $8,000. Dishes are scored on plate presentation, creativity of recipe and taste. Also, chefs must effectively utilize and highlight all of the required ingredients in the dishes.
Last year’s winner was the team from the Fells Point restaurant Bond Street Social, which prepared an appetizer of wagyu (from a breed of Japanese cows by the same name) and foie gras dumpling in a star anise, lemongrass and sesame broth; an entrée of black pepper rubbed wagyu hangar steak with caramelized cipollini onion, blue cheese and bacon butter, with duck-fat fried pomme neuf potato; topped off with a dessert of old school sticky toffee pudding (a combination of pecan brittle, brandy cream and toffee sauce).
To learn more about the Mason Dixon Master Chef Tournament experience, visit www.masondixonmasterchef.com. General admission tickets are $25. Guest judging tickets are $45.