Tampa Bay Wine & Food Festival has announced the chef duel matchups for its “Chef Showdown,” presented by Irvine Spirits, and the first-ever “Breaking Bread with Heroes” breakfast, both hosted by celebrity chef, Robert Irvine.
This year’s participating restaurants, and competition lineup, will include the reigning champions from last year (listed first) versus new competitors:
Battle Burger: Chef Tyson Grant of Parkshore Grill vs Chef Jay Narvaez of Cru Cellars
Battle Seafood: Chef Manuel Arevalo of Rusty Pelican vs Chef Jon Walker of The Tides Seafood Market
Battle Fried Chicken: Chef Joe Dodd of King of the Coop vs Chef Cheyanne Misurelli of Sugar Wing
Battle Tacos: Chef Christopher Yadid Garcia of Tacos Las Californias vs Chef Dernier Buleje of The Dan at Hotel Flor
Battle Truffle: Chef Matthew Zappoli of Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa vs Chef Paul Morrison of Ponte
Battle Sushi: Chef David Reyes of Haiku vs Chef Mike Morales of Sunda New Asian
Battle Pasta: Chef Ricardo Nava vs Chef Anthony Pellicone of DeVito’s Italian Specialties
The event, which runs from April 9 to April 13, in downtown Tampa, is brought to Tampa by Breakthru Beverage, the exclusive wine and spirits provider of the festival, presented by Goya Foods and hosted by Publix and the Hillsborough County commissioners.